Rangers of Equestria: Comes the Night
by Megazord Master
Summary: Two Evils. Two Dimensions. Seven Elements. Secrets of the past come out eventually...
1. Tempus Fugit

AN: And here we go! Rangers of Equestria season 2 arrives with a bang…but later chapters will come only _after_ I finish The Ultra Crystals and move onto Powers Unleashed. Enjoy!

Rangers of Equestria: Comes the Night

Chapter 1: Tempus Fugit

Two years was actually a very short amount of time.

Twilight Sparkle walked the streets of Ponyville, looking around at the reinforced buildings around her. Although it had clashed with the former open plan design, a medium-height wall had been built around the small town and the guards were changed every couple of days. If they had nothing else to do, the Rangers would take turns guarding their home and were constantly on the lookout for any new dangers to come. After the first few months, Discord hadn't shown up on the radar anywhere and Billy had finally stopped the weekly training sessions. Since learning of their immortality, the danger factor had been steadily increasing up to the point where they had to beg Billy to come at them with all his force. The Midnight Blue Ranger had responded by whipping up a few simulations based on combat data that had been exchanged with the Ultra Rangers. They ranged from hordes of grunts to strange mirrored monsters and even a slightly toned down version of their last battle with Xonix.

Speaking of the enemy of the Ultra Rangers, they had said that he was either lying low or had gone into another one of the Power Comas. The last time she had spoken to the Orange Ranger, he had said that it wasn't something they had to worry about and the Overlord would pop up sooner or later. Although, with almost two years having gone by; it seemed the Ultra Rangers were looking to place their Rangering days behind them. They had finished up with their final exams and would be going their separate ways to whatever path they found themselves on. She didn't really know much about that stuff anyway and allowed it to leave her mind. Turning to other matters, it seemed Dimitria had left more information than previously thought and it raised some questions about how dedicated she had been to Zedd's cause. Billy had walled himself off from the world for a few months before bringing them all in to the Command Tower to share what he had found.

What had been found left them shivering at night for weeks. Plans involving necrotic arts, armies of the undead and surreal monsters that would have stalked them in their sleep; they were plans that would have destroyed the Rangers for sure. Why Zedd had shelved them was anyone's guess, thought Billy had his suspicions that they had been placed on hold with the claiming of the Dark Rangers. What was interesting to note were the complicated and convoluted restraining methods that had been researched; almost as if those beings were never to be used against the general populace. Destroying them also wasn't an option as Zedd's research had found that their very presence was integral to the way Equestria worked. She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling that Discord would want to get his claws into what they had found out. Stopping in her tracks, the inactive Ranger looked around at her surroundings curiously. There was a feeling running down her spine, something that screamed to her instincts that she was being watched. Shaking her head, she continued on her walk.

Shining Armour and Princess Cadence had been married a few weeks after the threat level was decreased. It had been a sight to see Billy in his unicorn form once more but everything had gone over pretty smoothly. Well, except for Queen Chrysalis interrupting the wedding with dire news that a faction of rogue Changelings was barrelling towards Canterlot with the intent of feeding off everypony. The Queen of the Changelings had scoffed at the very thought of the Equestrian Rangers, thinking them to be a strangely detailed rumour, but had vowed to protect the newlywed couple while the Bearers ran to get the Elements of Harmony. Needless to say, she had been struck dumb as seven ponies lined up and changed into the rumoured Equestrian Rangers. Faced with the sight of the seven Equestrian Rangers lined up outside Canterlot, the rogue faction had done what any normal, self-respecting faction would have done.

They fled.

Of course, they didn't get far. Once they had reached a reasonable distance, Spike had roped them with the Capture Sphere in the Dragon Jet. They would be spending the next five hundred years imprisoned under the ruins of the Tomb of Discord. After the wedding had officially finished, Princess Celestia had taken a shell-shocked Chrysalis to the Main Tower to debrief her friend…and possibly splash cold water on her. Another stunned party had been Twilight's new sister-in-law, Cadence. She smiled as she recalled the explanations that had to take place, including a video recap of their adventures so far. All things considered, Princess Cadence had taken it pretty well and wasn't asking any more questions. Shining Armour had been of some help, but even her brother had been floored at the sight of the gigantic Harmonyzords.

She paused in her step again and scanned the buildings around her. There was a definite feeling in the air that something wasn't right and she ducked into a side alley. Lifting her front left leg up, she nosed aside the covering fur over her communicator. Relying on the Element Morphers for communication wasn't always a good idea in a crowded situation and the appearance of her Element Morpher would cause undue panic. At least, she hoped it would be undue panic. Images of the first attack on Ponyville swam through her mind and she shook her head to clear it. The last thing she needed to do was to freak out over imaginary monsters and attacks.

"Billy, are you there?"

After a short moment, the voice of Billy crackled over the line. He seemed slightly out of breath and she realised that he was probably in the middle of one of the training sessions. Out of the seven Ranger, only Billy and Applejack trained themselves on a regular basis with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy coming a close third and fourth respectively.

"Twilight? There's no unusual activity, if that's what you're asking. Everything seems clear…wait…these readings don't make sense."

Twilight furrowed her brow and instinctively summoned the Dragonfire Gem to replace her communicator. Through trial and error, she had discovered that she could morph directly into the Dragonfire Ranger without having to go through the 'normal' Ranger form first. It certainly cut down on the time spent messing about with various calls but it left her somewhat disorientated and stumbling as the changes in her body caught up with her. Mentally, she checked off where each Ranger would more than likely be. Pinkie was at Sugarcube Corner, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were guarding at the walls, Fluttershy was helping Nurse Redheart and Rarity was trying to rope Spike into being a model for her yet again. Sounds similar to scrunching paper came over the frequency and Twilight frowned lightly as a strange scent wafted past her nose.

Describing it later, she said it was a sickly sweet smell – like burning caramel – intermixed with something akin to freshly cut grass. Behind her, she could hear the confused murmurings of the crowd as they odour drifted over them. Instantly, she glanced in the direction of Sugarcube Corner; expecting Pinkie to be disposing of a failed caramel and grass flour cake…yet the normally chaotic building was quiet. Billy's voice issued from the frequency again but seemed slightly distracted.

"Twilight, get out of there. Something's coming and I don't know what –"

The communication cut off with an audible snap as her nose twitched. For the first time in two years, she felt the familiar Ranger instincts creeping up on her. She flicked her ears irritably as she detected the air charging up and she waited for whatever it was to begin. Stretching out with her senses, she could almost hear the crackle of an opening portal and the unintelligible burble of Z Centaurs.

An explosion engulfed the alley behind her as she whirled around. Panic whipped the crowd into frenzy and they stampeded everywhere with only the thought of saving their lives in their minds. Balls of fire and light exploded everywhere as ponies of all shapes and sized were thrown back violently in the sudden attack. Leaping through the flames, Twilight raised the Dragonfire Gem to the air and clenched her jaw. It was very clear that the years of peace had come to an abrupt end…

And war was upon them once more.

TBC…


	2. Enemy Revealed

AN: If you need help figuring out who the new enemy is…I have a chapter in one of my stories called Musings.

Chapter 2: Enemy Revealed

"Who's attacking now?"

Billy shook his head as best as he could while trying to defend against the attacks of the Z Centaur in front of him. He ducked a buck from behind and shifted his Acceptance Lance to block a thrust from a makeshift spear. While the Z Centaurs weren't stronger than before, there was no denying that – even with the almost daily training he had done – he was woefully out of practice. His reflexes had been dulled due to non-use over the past two years but they were rapidly coming up to speed. The thought of the Z Centaurs pushing past Twilight's strength was almost laughable as the Element Morphers had kept their elevated strength from the final battle with Zedd. Leaping over a Z Centaur, he slammed his Acceptance Lance on the top of its head and heard it crumble to dust behind him.

"I don't know but they probably have access to Zedd's staff!"

"Foolish Ranger…our Master is more powerful than Zedd ever was!"

Billy looked up at the unfamiliar voice to see a powerful punch rushing at his face. Dismissing his Acceptance Lance, the Midnight Blue Ranger barely had enough time to duck out of the way before turning to see his assailant. Whatever it was, it could have only been described as a reverse centaur. Instead of having the head and torso of a man with the body of a horse, the creature in front of him had the head, upper torso and front legs of a horse – with hands instead of hooves – and the lower torso and legs of a man. How the monster didn't overbalance was a mystery but he guessed to had to do with the abnormally large claymore it had strapped behind it. The being pulled back its fists for another strike and Billy reacted instinctively. Crouching low to the ground, he channelled power into his legs and leapt up, narrowly missing being struck with the powerful blow by the narrowest of margins. Flipping over the beast, he summoned his Element Blade Blaster and activated the blades. Tapping a hidden button on the inside of his right glove, the tracking system in his visor began feeding him information on the new opponent and information on where the others were.

"Hold him down, AJ!"

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth together as a stream of lightning spewed from her Lightning Cannon and impacted the creature on the ground. The group of Z Centaurs had unexpectedly given way to a quartet of pony-like beings that had begun viciously attacking them. The one that was opposing them had a crazed look in its eyes and its movements were somewhat jerky, rushing in with unimaginable speed one second and reduced to a blubbering wreck the next. It made battling the monster very hard and unpredictable…and then there was the issue with their sloppy reflexes. Ducking under a barrage of lasers from the remaining Z Centaurs, Dash looked down at the one-sided struggle below her.

Applejack dug her hooves in and wrenched as hard as she could. She had to hand it to Billy though; after seeing that the 'lasso throwers' were next to useless on her Zord, the blonde genius had disabled them and created a scaled-down version for her Ranger Armour. The shoulder-mounted hook launchers had been a bit strange at first but after a few rounds in the Training Rooms, she had gotten used to the additional weight. However, it seemed clear to her that the critter she had hooked onto had the strength advantage…which belied its unsettlingly skeletal frame. Whatever it had been in its life, it was now transformed into a mockery of a bipedal unicorn wearing a breast-plate that pulsed at random intervals with a sickly green light. It was hard enough having to leave Big Macintosh and the rest of the family in the middle of Applebuck Season; but Granny Smith knew the safety of Equestria came first. However, there was no denying that there was a part of her that had missed the near-constant adrenaline rush of being in an actual battle…and one with her beloved no less. An explosion behind her told the Red Ranger that she was in a battle and the daydreaming could wait until later.

"Magic Stinger, fire!"

The combined weapon kicked back the two Rangers as the bolts of magically charged energy streaked towards the target in front of them. Twilight had been constantly thinking of why the Orange Ranger had been able to combine his weapon with hers and had asked Billy about it. The Midnight Blue Ranger hadn't known where to begin but had informed her that because the Harmony Weapons could connect with each other, they would be able to connect with any Ranger weapon with similar connectors. That had led to the logical conclusion that the Magic Launchers could combine with any of the other Harmony Weapons but she hadn't had any practical experience until just then. She was just lucky Fluttershy had agreed to go along with the words of the Purple Ranger. Disassembling the weapon, her knees slightly bent as the Magic Launchers reconnected onto her shoulders. Squinting through the cloud of dust, they waited to see what the result had been on their opponent.

"As if something like that would hurt!"

The dust clouds violently parted to reveal their opponent hadn't even been fazed in the slightest. Looking like a slightly rotting version of Discord, the grey and green Pegasus twirled the large wing-like blades in its hands. Fluttershy backed up nervously and swallowed hard as the monster flared out two skeletal wings from its back, the rotted tendons barely holding the bones in place. Shaking away her fear, the Yellow Ranger narrowed her eyes and shakily stood her ground as the beast approached. Everyone else was fighting and she couldn't be the only one who still needed help and assistance, especially not after they had defeated Zedd. Yet, the Element of Kindness clashed with her duty to protect the world…she would have to talk to the other Rangers to see how they suppressed their kind thoughts and fought with almost mechanical precision or, in Pinkie's case, absolute insanity.

"Whee! This is fun!"

Pinkie cart wheeled through the air as explosions blossomed around her. The Pink Ranger was enjoying being in the thrill of battle once more, although their opponent didn't look like any monster she had seen previously. She could see Rarity on the ground firing her Gem Vulcan at the heavily muscled Earth Pony monster as it stalked towards her. The Green Ranger looked like she needed help and she was the only one to save her. Summoning her Smile Slicer, Pinkie somersaulted through the air with her tail held out perfectly straight and slammed the jagged edge down the back of the monstrous Pony. Seeing the biped stumble back, Pinkie brought out her Boomer Blaster and let it rip into the side of the monster. She had absolutely no idea what the green balls of liquid were but, judging from the screams produced by the creature, they were doing something all right. She just hoped they didn't mutate the creature into something stronger than they could handle.

"Enough! Trotters, to me!"

The raspy voice boomed out over the battlefield, causing Rangers and opponents alike to freeze. In an eerie unison, all four bipedal horse monsters abandoned their battle and leapt up to stand next to a strange pony none of the Rangers had ever seen before. Whoever it was had a pitch-black coat, a yellow and white streaked mane and tail and piercing red and gold eyes. A twisted green and white horn protruded from between the eyes and what they could see of the hooves was coloured bluish-purple – the colour of a fresh bruise. The only feature that stood out to the Rangers was the strange scar that stretched from the left shoulder all the way down to the middle of the right front leg. It looked like it was recently headed as it was of a lighter colour than the rest of the coat. The Cutie Mark of the strange unicorn also puzzled them as having a special talent for shrouded moons made no sense. Regrouping, the Rangers stood ready in anticipation of whatever the new opponent would pull.

"I applaud you, Rangers. You have done what no Ranger team has done in more than a thousand years: survive more than five minutes against the Trotters. However, your battle does not end here."

The mysterious unicorn lifted his front left leg and, with a trace amount of pain on his face, stomped hard on the ground. Seconds later, an enlarged monster materialised in a flash of light, almost as if it had been created instantaneously…which would have been impossible. As the Rangers struggled with their next moves, the words from the unicorn chilled them.

"At last, eternal night will once again fall on Equestria! Remember my name as I will be your new ruler."

As the Rangers scrambled their Zords, only Billy heard the soft words that followed.

"I am Night Shade."

TBC…


	3. Questions and Doubts

AN: Slightly iffy bits here, but they will all make sense in the end. Hopefully.

Chapter 3: Questions and Doubts

"I am Night Shade."

It couldn't be. She had seen Night Shade defeated by the combined blast of the Elements of Harmony and, as they had never found a body, he had been presumed sealed. She had thought it odd that Night Shade didn't make an appearance when Discord was freed but chalked it up to the unicorn having expired in the Tomb long ago. However, she had her doubts about the true fate of the sneaky Unicorn as Shining Light had revealed to her what she saw…but that had made no sense whatsoever. Shaking her head, the Grand Monarch of Equestria stepped away from the command console as the Rangers prepared to summon their Zords.

According to her departed friend, Night Shade had been pulled into a multicoloured vortex the very second the blast had hit. There was no doubt in her mind that if her firing time had been just a second too late, they would have seen his departure. She had accepted her friend's explanation for the disappearance of Night Shade but something had always nagged in the back of her mind regarding the multicoloured portal. Of course, she had relegated the information to the back of her mind and paid it no attention until the sudden reappearance shocked it to the forefront. Allowing Cadence to watch over the Zord Battle of the Rangers, the Princess of the Day walked to the corner of the Command Room used for the archives. Every video taken from the previous battles and additional surveillance images from Equestria were stored in the computer, as well as a strange password protected area that nothing could access. Using her magic to manipulate the controls, she pulled up an image of the attack three years ago of Parascythe.

The images played next to a slow panning of the area that had been done by a cloaked camera drone of Billy's, capturing the battle and debut of the Friendship Stampede. Switching the display to only show the camera drone, she waited for the moment she knew was coming. A heartbeat later, she saw something that confirmed her departed friend's words – a shimmering, multicoloured portal. Her amazement at this discovery was somewhat muted by the sound of Billy teleporting in to direct the Megazord battle. Turning an ear toward the human, she registered the words 'Omega Mode' and knew that the fight would be over within a few minutes. She wondered exactly how she would break the news to the Rangers that she had an idea of how Night Shade had popped up once more but was distracted by her sister muttering to herself as she replayed the images of the beings identified as the 'Trotters'.

"Sister, what is it?"

Luna turned away from the images and looked at her sister. She was somewhat comforted to see the same light of recognition she was sure lay within her own eyes, but she struggled to speak. There were no words to describe the conflicting emotions rampaging inside her. Struggling past her self doubts and a growing sense of unease, she managed to croak out two words that sent slivers of ice down the spines of both Alicorns.

"The stars…"

At those words, Celestia's jaw dropped open slowly as she remembered the Prophecy of Nightmare Moon that Shining Light had foretold with the help of an aging Starswirl the Bearded. It had been long said that the stars would eventually aid in the escape of Nightmare Moon, yet Celestia could never see that happening. After all, stars weren't sentient and couldn't help a physical being escape. However, there were the four stars she had seen orbiting around the moon in the weeks leading up to the Summer Sun Celebration. They struck her as odd as she had never seen such stars around the borders of the Moon before; even though her advisors had informed her that the other four objects that had orbited the Moon for centuries had suddenly vanished, she paid it no heed. Her thoughts then had simply been that the objects had been pushed away from the Moon due to solar winds or various gravitational forces.

As she registered the explosion that signalled the end of the monster, she looked at her sister as her feeling of unease spread through her body. The past two years had been a time of bonding between them and they had told each other everything, even Luna's deepest and darkest secrets. Strangely, she didn't think her sister was odd regarding her sexual preferences and they had even done a few…experiments on each other. Of course, they had asked Billy to show them how to turn off the cameras in their private quarters, something which he was more than happy to do as he had muttered something about wishing he had done that during Love Tick's spell. However, one look at the look on her sister informed Celestia that she wouldn't be getting any more attention until whatever issue she had on her chest was out in the open. Nuzzling her sister's cheek, she walked out to the Command Chamber and waited for the Rangers to arrive.

Six streaks of light coalesced into the Rangers and they began asking questions at the same time. She allowed them to continue asking for a few moments and held up her front left leg to silence them. Sighing heavily, Princess Celestia used her magic to carefully lift her crown off her head. She opened her mouth to speak; but before she could do so, she was interrupted by the soft voice of Princess Luna.

"The Trotters released Nightmare Moon…"

TBC…


	4. Luna's Lament

AN: As before, slow chapters until everything is introduced. The Trotters were introduced in The Ultra Crystals chapter 126: Warped Image. Lengthier AN at bottom for the reading guide.

Chapter 4: Luna's Lament

"How can you be so sure?"

Twilight felt the words slip out of her mouth before her mind could process what she had said. There was no way that the Trotters, whatever they were, could have released Nightmare Moon from her lunar imprisonment. The Prophecy she had read made it very clear that the stars would aid in her escape and from what she had just seen, the Trotters didn't seem like stars. For one thing, they hit too hard for them to be ethereal balls of light floating in some nebulously defined void. She wondered if Weihan knew what they were and turned an eye to the Dimensional Doorway that was gathering dust in a corner of the Command Chamber. However, her eyes snapped to Princess Luna's face at her next words.

"I am sure because I am still able to access her memories. I suppose I should start at the beginning of what she could remember…"

_Flashback_

_Nightmare Moon rolled over and stared at the wall once more. In the five years since her imprisonment had began, she had tried almost everything to tear down the walls around her. Nothing was ever permanent, but she gained some degree of pleasure from making tiny cracks in the stone. The coverings on her hooves were cracked and dulled, although they would eventually regenerate in a few weeks. This was part of the curse 'graciously' bestowed upon her by Celestia that no harm would come to her sister during her imprisonment. Some part of her was pleased that her sister cared for her so deeply, but the majority of her wanted to act on her deepest and darkest fantasies. The White Princess would scream out her name in pain as her body was violated repeatedly by the horn of her sister and those pain filled shouts would give way to pleasure…and then wet gurgles as she drew her last blood-soaked breath. Wetness trickled from between her hind legs as she fought against the feelings surging through her body._

_Four flashes of light shone through the solitary window, causing the dark Alicorn to look up. There was light somewhere close by and she was damned if she wasn't going to see what had caused it. If it was Celestia coming to gloat over her victory, she would tell her sister exactly where she could stick her horn…or even her tongue. Shaking off the feelings twisting in her gut, she forced herself to her feet and walked towards the window. She had lost count of the amount of times she had looked out onto the dull grey surface of the Moon, lost count of the number of times small rocks would impact against its surface and had even lost count of the billions upon billions of stars in the sky. As Princess Luna, she had known that there were other life-forms in the Universe. Most of them were content to stay on their planets and make no trouble. When she brought about Eternal Night, she had plans to bring Eternal Night to the entire Universe…no matter how long it took._

"_What on Equestria…?"_

_The words trailed off as she caught sight of the four new objects orbiting the Moon. They looked to be energy capsules of some description but she could not see inside them. They were too far for her to see what each capsule contained, but she could feel the power reaching out to her. To have such a quartet of objects so close to her was frustrating beyond words…but she was a smart pony. Waiting would bring new results and answers…and, in all honesty, she wasn't going to get much done with throbbing hooves._

_She could wait_

_End Flashback_

Standing behind her sister, Princess Celestia's jaw hung loose as her mind processed the words Luna was saying. It made no sense that the four objects would appear in flashes of light as opposed to the portal of swirling colours. Shaking her head, she reminded herself that there must be another explanation and whatever it was would eventually come into the light. She looked over the faces of the Rangers and noticed that all of them, including Billy, were hanging onto every word that was being said. Allowing a small smile to flitter over her features, she looked back at her sister as she spoke again.

"Over time, the objects began to float closer to the Moon. Although they never landed on the surface, they had other ways of making their presence known…"

_Flashback_

"_What is it you require of us?"_

_Nightmare Moon could scarcely believe her luck. A good several hundred years had passed since the arrival of the objects and she had never heard as so much as a peep from anypony inside. She had tried communicating every way she could from Morse code to tapping and even screaming until her voice had become hoarse – no pun intended. Only when she had exhausted all options did she try with her magic. Mind-to-mind contact left her skin feeling like ants were crawling over it but it was her last option. _

_Much to her utter shock, the mind contact had worked and she was slowly extracting information from one of the inhabitants of the capsules. Whoever it was 'spoke' with a deep and rumbling 'voice', almost like a volcano on the verge of an eruption. Its name was Dark Hoof and it had stated that it was the leader of a group of mighty warriors. She had forgotten what they called themselves but she knew it was a name worthy of repeated groans. Dark Hoof had stated that their powers were still very weak due to the process of transit and they had to wait until the time was right to break out. They had forged a temporary allegiance and were hammering out the details of her release._

"_You will break me out in four hundred years so I can wreak my vengeance on the Princess that imprisoned me here! In return, what do you wish for me to do?"_

_Silence answered her question and she feared it would be something too large for her to fulfil on her own. After a few moments, the 'voice' returned._

"_Do not think too much of it. We have our own reasons for helping you escape. Think of this as a one-time bargain."_

_End Flashback_

"When they broke me out, they did not show me their true forms. Dark Hoof said that it was for the best and wished Nightmare Moon all the best in the future…almost as if he knew that she would be purified. Yet, I do not know who this Night Shade is. If he was a member of the group then –"

"He wasn't."

All eyes turned to Celestia. The Princess had replaced her crown on her head and strode forward. Her mouth opened as she spoke the words that even she could not believe.

"He is a being from elsewhere."

TBC…

AN2/Reading Guide: For those new readers, this is a guide for what ROE elements were introduced where in The Ultra Crystals:

Night Shade: 106: Musings  
The Trotters: 126: Warped Image

And I can't reveal anything else as it would ruin the reveal. However, if you've read the epilogue of The Ultra Crystals...well, you know. And story elements in this story will mix heavily with the Ultra Crystals storyline and irrevocably change the fate of both dimensions forever.


	5. Celestial Revelation

Chapter 5: Celestial Revelation

"I didn't want to believe it at first, but there is no denying that fact."

She was aware that all eyes were on her. To think that the same Night Shade that had been Discord's right hoof warrior was from another dimension or plane of existence would have been extremely hard to believe, but she trusted what Shining Light had told her and it matched up with the images she had seen. Yet, a tiny part of her doubted what she knew. Night Shade had come back from wherever he had been sent, but the records never stated if he had been born in Equestria or not. There were so many questions regarding the information swimming around in her mind that she thought it would literally burst from her head. Grimacing slightly at the disgusting thought, she shook herself and continued.

"Hardly anything is known about Night Shade's background before he joined Discord. It is like he just popped up out of nowhere one day. Yet, even for a unicorn, he was a strange being. The magic bolts produced by him were reportedly stronger and had more potent effects than the ones produced by Discord. Another peculiarity was when he broke into the Harmony Vault, a secure location in the Old Palace that held the Elements of Harmony and vials of their magic. Two of the vials containing magic from the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty were shattered by his hooves…but the information I was given made me even more confused than before."

_Flashback_

"_This is the after-action report on the shattering of the vials?"_

_Celestia peered at the words on the report once more and shook her head. It didn't make sense…nothing about this mysterious Night Shade made any sense whatsoever. Behind her, the Elements of Harmony pulsed softly with light, as if comforting her with their power; power that had banished her sister to the Moon years ago; power that had the potential to destroy any evil creature outright…and had failed to do so. She could have chalked it up to the strange effect Discord's time magic was having on the rest of Canterlot but as she continued reading the report, something else caught her eye._

_Night Shade had been seen wandering through the corridors of the Palace soon after murmuring under his breath about the similarities the Element magic had with something called Grid Energy. Unfamiliar names were also heard such as Chysannas, Master Vile and Apollonia as well as tactics that made no sense to those shadowing the unicorn. Who in their right mind would send out all their soldiers in one massive charge against the enemy when they could be sent out in waves? The used terminology was also confusing as she had never heard of the advance guard being referred to as 'grunts' before. Shaking her head, she sighed and looked up at her friend. Shining Light's expression held a tinge of confused amusement and she shook her head once more._

"_For a being of evil to still be in one piece after the magic splashed over him; I understand it was only two vials but there should have been some effect more than a flash of light and a sparkle. Honestly, I don't know what to believe anymore."_

_End Flashback_

"Wait, Grid Energy? You're telling me that Night Shade was familiar with the Morphin Grid?"

Billy couldn't believe it. In the timeframe that the Princess was talking about, there was no established Grid. Maybe there had been a series of interconnecting links of power extending out from the Elements of Harmony, but it wouldn't be known as a Grid by anypony then. Even so, that made no sense whatsoever, but it did raise an ugly possibility in the forefront of his mind. Night Shade could possibly be a creature that had somehow slipped through the dimensional walls and landed in Equestria. Maybe he was even from a parallel Equestria and knew all about Grids and the powers they possessed, yet that didn't account for his understanding of the Harmony Energy. He rationalised it as an evil being learning for the first time but couldn't shake the feeling that this information would be vital in the future.

"Yes, the report mentioned Grid Energy. It was something that I had forgotten until recently but, as Night Shade hadn't made an appearance yet, I was going to mention it at a later date. Unfortunately, recent events have forced my hoof and there is more that you should know. While Shining Light was still with us, she and I had many conversations regarding the events surrounding Discord's entombment. She informed me that in the very instant the combined blast from the Elements of Harmony impacted against her fur, she saw Night Shade being sucked up into a portal of swirling colours."

"Was it a surprise for him or was he willingly returning?"

The question from Applejack sent all eyes to her and she flattened her ears slightly. The imagery whirling through her mind was very familiar to what she had seen when Rainbow Dash and her had taken their Interdimensional journey to the world of the Ultra Rangers, but for some pony called Night Shade to be sucked into a portal like that was either a great coincidence or something that held the answers to where the pony had come from. However, the answer was chosen for all of them at the next words of the Princess.

"Shining Light couldn't say, but she mentioned that there was a shocked sound coming from him so it would be obvious that it was a surprise. I think we can rule out Night Shade being from another dimension for the time being. The question is, what do we do now?"

Billy shook his head at the new information. There was a being called Night Shade who was in command of four monster generals called the Trotters and he had attacked Ponyville with a few Z Centaurs. Discord hadn't turned up during the battle which meant he was still recovering from his injuries or was setting up another base somewhere. There was a possibility that Discord was just as confused with the situation as they were, but he seriously doubted that. Tricksy hadn't been seen anywhere populated and Gilda was still in the company of her family unit around the Northern ice floes. Preparations had to be made and connections done in time for the next battle. He had a feeling Night Shade had been toying with them and knew not to underestimate them. The only questions in his mind were when the next attack was going to be…

And if they would survive intact.

TBC…


	6. Hazy Mind

Chapter 6: Hazy Mind

"Back in Equestria once again."

Night Shade tapped his chin with his left hoof and stared at the ceiling in thought. His last memory had been falling into a hole or pit while a figure was obscured by an explosion. Trying to think about the incident made his mind hurt and, try as he might, he couldn't recall any details since defeating the Power Rangers on the backwater planet his brother had taken such an interest in. Biting back a laugh as he thought of what everypony around him was calling him, he shook his head and trotted to one of the many consoles on the walls. Whoever had ripped them out had done a relatively shoddy job and the cut connections could be easily fixed…well, if only he could transform back into his original form.

Shaking his head, he summoned the magic from deep within him and pried off the front panel to expose the wiring underneath. Skimming over the cut wires and mangled connections, he moulded his magic into a set of claws and began the delicate work of repair. Since his awakening, Dark Hoof had filled him in on the details of the last mission of the Trotters. The information was more than a few hundred years old but he found it interesting to learn exactly what had transpired on Efas. The weapon that their Rangers had been creating had been a dimensional matter transporter that would encase the object in an energy field before transit. This was to ensure the contents wouldn't suffer any degradation from the caustic portal they had developed. The planet had been razed to the ground and all of the Rangers mercilessly killed in ways that made him shudder. However, in the midst of all the chaos around them, the Trotters had forgotten about King-Emperor Beltfast.

The King-Emperor had somehow survived the ransacking and rape of the Royal Palace and had slowly dragged his dying form to the control panel of the Matter Transporter. With a final yell worthy of admiration, the King-Emperor had extended all six of his arms to activate the machine. However, Slashing Vengeance had thrown one of his energy-charged shears at the head of the King-Emperor, decapitating him. However, the slumping body of Beltfast ensures that the planet of Efas had the last laugh as the machine activated automatically. Dark Hoof had struggled hard against the energy encapsulating him but it had all been for naught. The machine had exploded the very second the transportation process had begun, flinging them into a random dimension while sucking out almost all of their energy. Well, that explained the strange pulse of light reported on the Intergalactic grapevine.

There was also no use worrying about anything now as he knew his advisors would continue to send monsters down on the planet, thus paving the way for its takeover upon his eventual return. If he continued to do well, his top warrior would also be in the line for a promotion or two when he found his way back. Hissing in pain as a shower of sparks burst from a repaired line, he looked down at the massive scar that prominently stretched over his chest. He had no such memory of any event that could have caused such a wound and he couldn't really turn his head around to check if a similar scar stretched along his back. Actually, he was slightly apprehensive about seeing such a scar as it would mean that he had let his guard down and been impaled on something. However, there weren't many things that could have penetrated his skin in his normal form. Shaking his head, he carefully connected several wires together and held his breath in anticipation.

As expected, there was no hum of the machinery powering up. While there was emergency power in whatever location this was, the Main Power Generators were far, far below them…and could only be accessed by a freefall drop through a fairly large tunnel with a strong net at the bottom. Needless to say, none of them were too keen on attempting such a leap of faith – and that meant that they would be stuck with Emergency Power for the time being. They could still keep an eye on several locations around Equestria and even Deinos Terra Firma, but anything else would be like…like…well, it would be damn hard. And that was why he made sure that everyone around him knew a few basic spells like teleportation and a few offensive bolts as well. The last thing he needed was to get caught with his proverbial pants down.

_Flash_

"_Now, Ranger, your battle truly begins!"_

_End Flash_

Night Shade blinked once and shook his head violently. Rolling the words around in his mind, he was surprised at how familiar they seemed. Yet, to the best of his knowledge, he had never spoken them out loud to an attacking Ranger before. Rangers, whenever they attacked him and his forces, always came in groups and it would be a strange sight to see a single silhouette of a Ranger in a battle. Well, he guessed stranger things were possible. Abandoning his task, he walked over to the makeshift balcony and looked out at the burnt remains of the Everfree Forest. Discord had stated that he had created a fire to draw the Rangers out in what he hoped would be their last confrontation but it had gotten out of control during the fierce fighting. Out of control; looking around the charcoal around him, he knew that was a huge understatement as the damage looked like it had been done within a single instant. However, one would need a massive source of magical energy to pull that off and, not that he distrusted Discord's words, he doubted his old 'boss' had the power to pull something like that off.

There was also something Discord was hiding. He could sense a strange power coming from the hornless pony and it felt frustratingly familiar as well. Something about it sung seductive songs about the power to crush his enemies in a single blow and, more importantly, the feeling of triumph over his opponents. He knew there was one time in his past which he had come very close to that power before but, much like everything else, it was maddeningly just out of reach. He snorted and shook his head, allowing his mane to fall over his eyes. He would let his 'boss' keep his secrets for now.

"Our first monster failed, my Lord."

Nodding solemnly at the voice behind him, the ebony pony turned and walked to where Dark Hoof was standing in the doorway. In all truth, he wasn't expecting victory to come that easily. The Rangers had been battling against Discord for a long while and, even with the two-year break, their instincts were as honed as ever. Chuckling to himself, he mused that if the monster _had_ somehow overwhelmed the Rangers, he would have destroyed it himself. That would have surely galvanised them into getting stronger for their next encounter.

"I am aware of that. Has Psychocorn finished the first batch of new Golems yet? For some reason, I cannot access the energies needed to create them myself."

"Yes, my Lord. He should be just about finished. When will you send them out? Striking now would be the best –"

Night Shade shook his head. Sending out new grunts so soon after an enlarged monster attack would mean that he wasn't confident in the abilities of those around him. It would create discord in the ranks and cause those closest to him to challenge his top position. If he was in his original form, he could afford that luxury as nothing would want to challenge him but in his Equestrian form…well, he was no better than a sitting duck. Magic and power only got one so far and if determination was lacking then the individual would become stagnant.

"We will give them a few days to recover. Once they have rested sufficiently, we will attack the lands to the north. If the intelligence that was presented to me before was correct, then the Changelings had a hoof in Discord's downfall. We will show no mercy."

Dark Hoof bowed once and left him alone. Closing the door with a flick of his tail, he walked to the balcony and sighed heavily, taking inventory of everything around him. There had been a change in the air since his awakening as well as the feeling that all was not as it seemed. His memory was fuzzy and was dotted with holes, images and strange flashes of Orange. He was back in Equestria with no memory of how he had returned and wondered exactly what the vials of Harmony Energy had done to his internals all those years ago. However, he did know one thing.

All of Equestria would finally fall to Xonix.

TBC…

AN: Yup, I'm guessing everyone saw that coming. If you didn't, you haven't been paying attention in my stories.


	7. Fast Track

Chapter 7: Fast Track

The next day brought no attacks.

This relaxed Billy somewhat, yet he was still on edge waiting for a surprise attack to come out of the shadows at any moment. Sensing his edginess, both Princess Celestia and Luna were giving him a wide berth until he figured out a way to strengthen their current forces. Twilight couldn't be expected to go into full Dragonfire Mode at the beginning of every battle. Doing so would risk the transformation into a human becoming permanent. He had no idea what a unicorn-turned-human would look like and he wasn't so keen to find out. While his Acceptance Powers were slightly stronger than those of the main six Rangers, he wasn't about to shoulder the pressure of battle alone. His eyes flitted over the Dimensional Doorway and he sighed softly. The Ultra Rangers could come and help with a battle or two, but he was sure they had more than enough on their plates without him adding to it.

In addition to giving him a wide berth, Princess Celestia had gone on a diplomatic visit to the Changeling Lands. However, this was just a front to warn Queen Chrysalis about Night Shade and to inform her about his return. Even though the relations between their lands had been somewhat strained by the rogue attack, they had been friends first and foremost. Princess Luna would be holding the fort until her return and had promised to try to remember all she could about the Trotters to give them the tactical advantage. Billy wasn't so sure exactly how that would work but was willing to give Luna the benefit of a doubt.

Walking over to one of the consoles, he absently picked up a report that was printing out and stared blankly at the words before frowning slightly. According to what he was reading, there had been a tiny spike of power at the abandoned temporary outpost, which was nothing new. There had been small spikes in the outpost since they had left as the power tried to flow to connections and consoles that weren't fully whole or even in one piece. That being said, the only power that could be active was the Emergency Power as he had disconnected the Main Generators at the temporary outpost a few days after settling into the Command Tower. He would only start to worry if the automated scanners registered a large surge of power. Scrunching up the report, he tossed it in the nearby basket before turning to regard the Dimensional Doorway with interest yet again. Perhaps, instead of asking them for help, if he just called them to update them on the situation…yes, that would be wise. Upgrades had allowed the image transmitted to become as clear as a High-Definition TV set so theoretically…

"Billy? Princess Celestia? Anyone there?"

Blinking at the familiar voice and light on top of the Dimensional Doorway, Billy rushed to the console and pressed down on the Transmit button. With a faint crackle of energy, the Dimensional Doorway communicator sprang to life to reveal the face of the Orange Ultra Ranger. The Asian boy was dressed in some sort of uniform that resembled an employee of a hotel, but the Midnight Blue Ranger could hear the sounds of battle behind him.

"Weihan, good to see you again. Is everything all right?"

The Ranger smothered a chuckle and shook his head. Billy's eyes widened as the Orange Ranger ducked as a slightly off-white energy bolt impacted against the screen. Holding up a finger, the Orange Ranger pressed a button on the console in front of him and turned to apparently yell at the figures behind him. Why he would be yelling at his attackers was a mystery to Billy until he caught sight of them. There were three obviously female figures behind him…clad in crystalline Ranger Armour coloured off-white, black and deep blue respectively. Directing them to a flat platform that Rainbow Dash had described as the Simul-Deck, the young Orange Ranger pressed a few buttons and a holographic horde of zombies materialised. Stepping back for a moment, the boy watched the unfamiliar Rangers prepare themselves before hurrying back to the communication unit.

"Sorry about that. New Rangers need to know the limits of their Powers. Three out of seven isn't too bad of a start. How are things on your end?"

Billy gaped at the new information for a few moments and tried to process it. The Ultra Rangers had recruited three new Rangers into their ranks, but the design of their Armour had more in common with the Morphin Rangers than the Ultra Rangers. To truly understand the difference between the Ultra Rangers and the new Rangers, he would have to have a side-by-side comparison; but all that could be done later.

"Not good. We have a new enemy that apparently has ties to both Discord and Nightmare Moon. He's called Night Shade and his generals are called the Trotters. We were on the ropes battling all four when he pulled back his forces and attacked with a generic giant monster. Now…we're waiting and training harder than before."

As the Orange Ranger digested the new information, Billy's thoughts turned to the new Rangers once again. His talks with the Zordon of their dimension before the Countdown had made clear that there were ever only thirteen Ultra Crystals created and no more. Maybe these new Rangers weren't part of the Ultra Rangers at all and were part of a new Ranger team to defend the Earth in the future. He heard a snort come from the boy in front of him and he realised, somewhat belatedly, that he had been speaking aloud the entire time. Opening his mouth in an attempt to explain himself, Weihan shook his head and held up a hand as the sounds of training continued behind him.

"Don't worry about it. Apparently the Crystal Coins were always in the Ultra Crystals but were released yesterday. They reacted with seven girls but only three have joined up so far. I'm hoping the other four will change their minds before Xonix comes back."

"Comes back? Sure is taking a while for him to recover… How hard did you hit him two years ago?"

Weihan shook his head as he looked back. Behind him, the three Rangers had gotten over their battle nerves and were tearing into the simulated zombie horde with ease. He had a feeling that they were going to be needed in Equestria for a few battles and wanted them to be in top form. The others could deal with Jabarkas and Bree could be given a spare communicator and access to the Ultra Cavern and, if the need arose, allow AJ and her friend access. The others had made it clear that the Crystal Rangers were to be his responsibility as he would be the one that was nearest to them. Pile that on top of his duties to the Ultra Rangers and his course work…well, it was almost enough to make him scream in frustration. The only good part that he could think of was that, in theory, he could amalgamate the leadership of the Ultra and Crystal Rangers together…but the Crystal Rangers already had a leader. He would cross that bridge when it came…or plough through the bridges in his path.

"I'm sure he would have healed by now…I don't suppose you've seen any homicidal dragon things walking around the place?"

"Not more than usual."

As the two Rangers shared a laugh, Billy heard the distinctive crackle of teleportation behind him and the surprised sounds of Twilight and Fluttershy as they registered the human on the screen. However, before any words could be said, a sound from behind the Orange Ranger made him leap up just in time to deflect a blast from the Simul-Deck. Quickly assessing the situation, the Ranger nodded to himself before leaping up, flash-morphing and drawing his Sabre to quickly destroy the hordes of simulated undead that were quickly overwhelming the trio. As both trios of Rangers watched the swift brutality of the Orange Ranger, the Ranger in the black armour suddenly looked over to the screen and froze in shock. Following her line of sight, the other two Rangers saw the ponies on the screen and gaped openly – even though they were wearing helmets.

As the last of the computer-generated zombies fell away, the Orange Ranger demorphed and chuckled at the sight.

"Time for Dimensions 101."

TBC…

AN: To be continued in whatever Powers Unleashed chapter aligns with this one.


	8. Empire of Change

AN: Yes, Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis know each other and have been friends since the Entombment of Discord. If you've read the first story, you'll know this.

Chapter 8: Empire of Change

"Night Shade has returned?"

Princess Celestia nodded once as she walked down the twisting roads with Queen Chrysalis. The Changeling Empire had, to excuse the pun, changed since the last time she had been in their lands and had apparently sated their hunger for love and happiness. How they had done so, she didn't want to know but she suspected it had to do with her sealing of Discord; rather, his followers that they had mortally wounded in the fighting. The former Queen Metamorph had stayed behind with her army as Celestia had returned to Equestria. Whatever they had hoarded, it was apparently close to running out as there was no reason for the rogue faction to attack otherwise. However, her friend had brushed off such concerns and informed her that the rogue group had uncovered secret documents of the previous Kings and Queens of the Changeling Empire regarding the amount of pure love and happiness found in and around Canterlot. The love siphoned from Discord's followers wasn't even close to being fully consumed and, to Celestia's astonishment, they hadn't even scratched the surface yet.

"If he has joined forces with Discord once more, then the world will be plunged into chaos once again. Do you know if Discord is with them?"

"I do not know, old friend. I can only pray that he is just as confused, but my heart tells me otherwise."

Chrysalis nodded her head and looked up at the spiralling tower above their heads. After learning that the Power Rangers were real, she had begun construction of a building that could be used as an outpost for the Rangers, should the need ever arise. Of course, it was lacking in a few furnishings but it would suffice for a low-tech solution. Her friend had changed as well, both internally and externally. There was a thin strip of metal around her front left leg and the choker that had been always present around her neck had strange protrusions around the centre jewel. The way the Princess looked around cautiously reminded her of the way her mother would always look around before introducing her to a new pony or place. Yet, she believed, it was all a façade to prevent the regal Alicorn from allowing the true feelings in her heart.

Shining Light had graced the world once more with her presence but had sacrificed herself to purify Zedd's Dark Rangers. She would be forever one with the energy surrounding Equestria…but that wasn't the same as actually being there. She wished she could comfort the Princess in front of her but, as all love produced would be distributed throughout the Changeling Lands; all she could offer was her lifelong offer of friendship. A wry smile flickered over her face as she knew that her mother had ensured that the line of future Queens or Kings would end with her. She had never put much thought into becoming an immortal being in her youth and it was only on the eve of her mother's death that she had the knowledge thrust upon her. She would eventually inform the Royal Alicorns about it, but now wasn't the time. Mentally shaking herself, she opened her mouth to ask…something, when an armoured guard galloped to them. Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, the Changeling spoke frantically.

"My Queen…the sentries have detected movement from the North Cave."

Chrysalis' eyes widened as her thoughts turned to the North Cave just outside her borders. There hadn't been activity coming to or from that cave since well before her mother's rule. It was also a seasonal home for the Ursas that had survived the flash-burning of the Everfree Forest and everypony knew how fiercely territorial they were. A grim look passed over Celestia's face in a passing wave and Chrysalis turned to her friend.

"Maybe you had better sit this out. I would hate myself if any harm came to you."

Princess Celestia smiled warmly at her friend and shook her head slowly. If Night Shade was attacking the Changeling Lands, then there was nothing that could be done except fight. Lifting her front right leg up to the choker around her neck, she gingerly pressed down on the jewel and prayed that Billy's designs worked. With a flash of light and a tingle that ran through her body, she was instantly clad in the same armour she had worn in the battle against the Dark Ranger, but with minor changes. Her back, wings and flanks were covered with a thin piece of chain mail and a blade-like implement was attached to the end of her tail. Glancing at the pole-axed look on the face of her friend, she giggled behind her front right hoof – careful not to poke her eye out on the spikes – and shook her head.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, old friend. The old instincts never truly vanish. I will be by your side just as your mother was by mine."

An explosion in the distance chilled her blood as the adrenaline started flowing. As Chrysalis directed her forces on the ground with the limited intelligence she was receiving, Celestia rocketed above the lands until she was almost as tall as the spiralling tower. Pausing for a mere moment to survey the lands around the city, she could see the columns of smoke that rose from the outer walls. From the gaping maw of what she could only assume was the North Cave, she could see a swarm of figures making their way to the walls. While they were too distant for her to make out any features, her sensitive hearing picked up on their shouts, screams and incoherent babblings. Swallowing hard, she nodded sharply and activated the strange feature Billy had installed into her helmet – the HUD. Eyes flicking around the 'screen', she wondered how on Equestria the Rangers navigated their way through so much information. Finally alighting on the option she wanted, she blinked once to activate the 'telescopic' function and she swore under her breath as she saw the perpetrator.

The two year gap didn't seem to have done anything to her as she still looked the same as the Rangers had described. Same crocodilian skin with the barest hint of azure fur, same claws that held the crescent moon shaped wand and the same maniacal expression that crossed insanity with grief. The creatures around her were of the same body shape as her transformed form, yet they had grotesque and twisted features. Eyes blinked from places they had no right being, mouths laughed and intoned of the horrors they had witnessed…but all of them were armed to the teeth with bladed weaponry. Swallowing hard, she lifted the communicator to her lips, forgetting that she could just contact the Command Tower from her upgraded helmet.

"Billy…we have a situation."

TBC…


	9. Crystal Surprise

Chapter 9: Crystal Surprise

"Who dares to steal my plan?"

Night Shade was livid. His masterwork plan had been ripped away from him by some mysterious third party and all he had left were the scraps. The plan could still be salvaged and repurposed to attack somewhere else, but as the main reason for the attack was to take his revenge on the Changelings…well, there wouldn't be much reason to attack another place. If he set his sights on the fading Crystal Empire, he could wipe them from existence but the attack would have no meaning. If his attack had no meaning, he would be dragged down to the level of the Machine Empire or even the mindless conquests of his brother.

Flash

"_Upset that I'm intruding on your turf?"_

"_Hardly. I'm just checking up on you."_

_End Flash_

Shaking his head at the sudden images, he rubbed his eyes with his front right leg and growled at the familiarity of the words. He had said them to Zedd before, yet he couldn't pin down exactly when or where the conversation had taken place. If he took Yit's inane ramblings to heart, he would have said there were repressed memories that were fighting to come to the surface after being forcefully suppressed during a period of mental trauma. He sorely doubted that would be the case and pushed that away for the time being. The more important thing was the figurative yanking of the rug from under him regarding his plan. For a brief moment, he considered sending the Trotters to deal with the new threat but relented. This would be a good opportunity to test the mettle of the Rangers opposing him. Even though the images were being shown on the screen in front of him, he could see that the number of monsters attacking the Changeling Lands numbered well into the hundreds. Even if all seven Rangers went, which he doubted they would do, they would be outmatched by the sheer numbers alone. Canterlot and, by extension, the Princess of the Day would be left exposed and ripe for the taking.

"My Lord, what would you require us to do?"

Night Shade opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a frustrated groan from Discord. The humanoid warrior was looking at the images on screen with barely concealed anger on his face. Confused by the behaviour of his former Lord, Night Shade asked who the interloper was. The answer he received cemented the notion that Discord was hiding something from him.

"That is a former supporter of Z…mine. She was a top magician in her day but I transformed her into so much more. At the peak of the last battle with the Rangers, she was struck with insanity and began ranting about someone called 'Lord Ed'. I haven't seen her until now."

It was the way he subtly looked to the Trotters that sealed the deal for Night Shade. Whatever Discord was hiding, it would have to wait until after this upstart was brought before him. As he issued orders to send down a batch of his new Golems to Canterlot, his mind wandered to the word Discord had been about to say. If he was a betting being, he would have said that the word was 'Zedd'…which was utterly insane. If Zedd were to come to Equestria, he wouldn't know what to do with his time. The mere fact that there were no gaping holes in the landscape proved that Zedd hadn't come and if his memory served him correctly, he was travelling to Earth to deal with Rita Repulsa. Apparently the witch had run into trouble with the local team of Power Rangers and their ingenuity had turned all the tried and tested options on their heads.

While there were Ranger teams in the Universe that had triumphed over Evil Rangers, almost none of them had broken the spell making the Ranger evil. The ones that had, however, had fallen to the tactic of stripping the powers away via a magic object of some kind, leaving the formerly-evil Ranger permanently powerless. The Rangers on Earth had not only broken the spell on the Green Ranger and converted him to their side; they had thwarted the plans for the power to be lost permanently by transferring the Power Coin to one of the other Rangers. This had made every Evil being sit up and take notice. The final straw that forced Zedd's hand was the destruction of the Warzord Cyclopsis.

In what should have been a fell swoop, Rita had kidnapped the entire population of the pathetic town the Rangers were based in and even managed to wreck their Zords. However, the idiotic witch hadn't pressed forwards and allowed the Rangers to escape from the iron grip of Goldar. Not only that, the buffoon had allowed her entire monster database to be hacked by Zordon…well, it was only a matter of time before his brother's arrival shook up the supposed status quo. He wondered exactly what the outcome would be when he managed to escape Equestria once more. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts from his mind yet again and refocused on the issue at hand. There was one task that needed to be done in order for the Rangers to reveal their entire hand…

"Discord, go to Canterlot with the Golems. Force the Rangers to split their forces and crush all that opposes you. Leave in ten minutes…just to be sure."

Discord bowed at the waist, thankful that he would not be dealing with the mutated pony. He had almost revealed the name of his true Master, something that would seriously not go down too well with the quartet of creatures that were around him. Drawing on the power of the Dark Crystal, he felt a rush of power flow through him and, in a flash of colour, his armour transformed into something that was fit for a warrior King like himself. While it was nothing more than an armoured vest with a mass of darkness swirling around in the central orb, he felt flames hotter than anything he had experienced licking at his skin. The shadows seemed to call to him to use them however he saw fit…which was a rather new experience for him. Holding out his left hand, a weapon materialised out of thin air and his fingers wrapped around the handle. Looking at the weapon, he scoffed as he couldn't see anything that could be remotely considered a blade or an opening for lasers. Shrugging his shoulders, he hooked the rather useless weapon on his belt and checked his xiphos was adequately sharpened.

Turning on the spot, he walked out of the room and looked at his armour once more. Despite retreating early in the Final Battle, he had heard the shout of the Orange Ranger as he summoned the armour that was more powerful than anything ever faced before. He had called it Hellfire Armour and it seemed that its power had been transferred to him in their moment of need. Turning the corner, he headed to his quarters to await the orders of Night Shade. His former Master didn't seem to be recovering his memory anytime soon, but Discord knew this lull was too good to last. Opening the door, he stepped inside the large space and looked around humourlessly. Even though there was almost enough space in the room for one of the Zords of the Rangers, it seemed wasted on his meagre possessions.

Suddenly, a wave of pain washed through his body and he fought hard not to scream out. The Dark Crystal slid out of his chest and hung in the air over his bed for a few moments before slowly expelling a humanoid figure. As the figure fell onto his bed, the Dark Crystal pulsed once and retreated back into its subspace pocket, leaving Discord to look at the figure in shock. Shaking his head at the hand fate had dealt him; he allowed himself a brief laugh and he shook his head in astonishment. After all that time searching for his Master…he couldn't finish the thought and looked for the Healing Tube he had seen in the room. Lifting the body effortlessly, he closed the lid of the Tube on the familiar form and pushed all thoughts of it out of his mind.

He still had a job to do.

TBC…


	10. Split Forces

Chapter 10: Split Forces

"Tricksy is still alive?"

Billy squeezed his eyes shut as he wondered what to do. If he sent the Rangers to the Changeling Lands, he would be the only one protecting Canterlot from any attack by Night Shade. If he split the Rangers, there was no concrete confirmation that three Rangers could best Tricksy and her monster army – especially if they had differing strengths and abilities. Looking at the Purple and Red Rangers behind him, his thoughts turned to the Ultra Rangers but he shook his head. Weihan had just recruited three new Crystal Rangers and he couldn't be expected to drop everything and cross dimensions. Even with Xonix gone, there were still threats to the planet and three 'rookie' Rangers wouldn't be much help with anything. A part of his mind chose not to recognise that Weihan had pretty much been a rookie Ranger when he had first come onto the scene…but everything had worked out for him in the end.

"I'm going. Princess Celestia needs help."

Nodding at the words of the Purple Ranger, Billy's fingers flew across the control panel as he began looking for a clear landing spot for whoever would go with her. He couldn't help but think about the growing closeness between the Purple Ranger and the Princess of the Day; now that she knew she was immortal, Twilight had become closer to both Princesses – particularly Princess Celestia. Of course, he didn't like thinking about that much as it reminded the Midnight Blue Ranger too much of what he had seen while the Rangers had been under Love Tick's spell. Honestly, he wondered if _anything_ would be able to scrub those images from his mind. The feeling seemed to be mutual, but Billy and Luna wondered whether the feelings Celestia had were true or if it was just a holdover from Shining Light. Time would tell but he had a sinking feeling that free time wouldn't come as readily as it did before.

The battle against Night Shade would probably push them to their limits and they would have to pull out all the stops in order to defeat him. Hell, even against Zedd, only two Megazord configurations had been formed and the Apple Flyer had transformed in an entirely different dimension! The alternate form of the Wolf Shogunzord hadn't been battle tested yet and the full gestalt combination hadn't even been needed against Zedd. In addition, if he _really_ wanted to get right down into the nit-picking details, the other connectors still needed further testing and the converters needed to be pushed to their limits. Anything less and that particular combination would explode in an Equestria shattering kaboom. He was about to contact the other Rangers when four streaks of light entered the Command Tower, forming into the remaining Rangers. Fluttershy nodded at them before lifting her Element Morpher with her front left hoof.

"Tricksy has finally resurfaced and is attacking the Changeling Lands with an army of her own monsters. Princess Celestia was visiting Queen Chrysalis on a diplomatic mission but she is now trapped in the capital that is being swarmed with monsters. We have to figure out who else will be going with Twilight besides Rarity."

The Green Ranger looked up at her name in surprise. There was no real reason why she had to be the one to go but she wasn't going to argue with it. Seeing her confused expression, Billy's expression softened slightly.

"Rarity, with Twilight going, you were the only choice for me to pick. I don't know how many of the monsters Tricksy can make grow but it will be good to have a Warriorzord combination out there. Unfortunately, that means that one of the Warriorzords will be out of action if there is an attack here. I'm not saying that will happen for certain, but it is good to be prepared for anything."

Billy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. In truth, he was beginning to reconsider his decision to split up the team…and he hadn't even sent anyone out yet. Tricksy was a foe the Rangers had only faced once, but had left a lasting impression on them. It seemed the warped pony actively delighted in seeking out victims for her monsters to kill and, as such, couldn't possibly be roped up by three Rangers. Mentally tossing that plan away, he turned to the Rangers and sighed.

"New plans…all of you are going to the Changeling Lands. Tricksy is a dangerous foe and I am confident you can defeat her monsters without being too affected by them. I highly doubt that there will be an attack in Canterlot but if there is, Princess Luna and I will be here to co-ordinate the counterattack. If things get really ugly, we will call a few of you back to deal with the threat."

"Ah don't mean ta sound like a worrywart, but will you really be all right here? If there's a large attack here and wherever the Princess is, Ah doubt we can come in time. Ah don't want to second guess you but…"

Applejack let the sentence trail off. The Red Ranger knew that calling on the other Rangers was an option but she had her reservations. Weihan would probably have his hands full trying to train the new Rangers how to fight and use their weapons and didn't have the time to be making a dimensional journey. On the other hoof, she knew that he would do everything in his power to ensure that they weren't overwhelmed by whatever enemy was attacking them. It was a sweet thought, but she kind of wished he would just let them be. Tricksy wasn't so much of a serious threat than an annoyance that had somehow created a monster army. With that many monsters, their intelligence factors would plummet…which meant there would be no repeats of the tragedies that surrounded Squeezer.

"I'll be fine, Applejack. I doubt there will be any attacks anyway. Teleporting you all…now."

As Applejack felt the tingling sensation of teleportation cover her body, the alarms in the Command Tower started blaring out. Instinctively, she whirled around to see what the situation was but her vision was swept up in a shower of red sparks. Feeling her hooves touch ground once more, the cowpony opened her eyes to see what could only be described as chaos. Changelings were everywhere defending against strangely mutated crocodiles. All thoughts of the dangers Billy would be facing in Canterlot fled from her mind as she took aim with her Element Blaster on the nearest monster. Digging in her hooves, she sent a thankful prayer up that Billy had managed to complete the subvocalisation protocols and fired several shots. The energy blasts impacted against the armoured scales of the monster and sent it flying away from the Changelings it was menacing.

"Princess Celestia! Are you all right?"

Applejack turned to see Twilight running toward the clearly battered and winded Princess and she allowed herself a slight smile before running towards them. A creature lurched out in front of her and the Red Ranger spun in the dirt, lashing her hind legs out in a powerful buck. Jumping over the stunned monster, she charged her Element Blaster and fired several shots straight down on its head. The energy penetrated the thin skin stretched over its skull and fried its brain to a crisp within seconds. Applejack had barely moved onto the next beast when it exploded into a ball of flames.

"What's happening in Canterlot?"

The Red Ranger could see Twilight talking to the Princess, while the others attempted to beat back the attacking monsters around them. Bucks and blasts weren't going to cut it against this horde and they only had one option. The only problems were that none of the others had come to the same conclusion she had or that the monsters around her were too overwhelming in their numbers for them to slip away. Feeling her hat slip off her head, she stowed it in a secure subspace pocket and ducked a slash from a clawed arm. Channelling her power into her legs, she leapt into the air and bucked the creature in front of her hard. The monster fell back onto the ground, bounced twice and exploded in a puff of smoke. Keeping an eye out for more creatures as they were made aware of their presence, she could just hear Billy's voice over the communicators.

"It's Discord and a new type of foot soldier. I've never seen anything like it…don't come back! Stay where you are! I can deal with this. It's Morphin Time!"

As the sounds of Billy's morph filtered through the communicators, Twilight looked up at Princess Celestia. The regal Alicorn looked like she had been through Hell and back. Several scorch marks dotted the metallic armour and around half of the chain mail covering on her back had been torn away. The only parts of her Battle Armour that didn't seem to be scorched were the helmet and her tail blade. In stark contrast was the Changeling Queen, Chrysalis. The Changeling was heavily injured and there were patches of fur that seemed to be completely burnt away. Her Royal Guard were close to her side and she weakly nodded at the Rangers. Seeing that Twilight needed time to process her thoughts and feelings, she took charge with a simple command.

"It's Morphin Time!"

TBC…


	11. Dark Hoof

Chapter 11: Dark Hoof

Billy was in a world of hurt.

Thirty minutes had raced by and he hadn't even made a dent in the strange creatures surrounding him. Whatever they were, they looked like Super Putties with unicorn horns and more intelligence. To make matters worse, there didn't seem to be any sort of weaknesses he could easily exploit; the only way to permanently put them down for good was the 'psycho killer' way – hit them until they stopped moving. Barring that, a dead-on blast from the Tricera Cannon worked but the hard part was getting them to stand still while their death blow charged. Twirling the Acceptance Lance in his hands, he began to wonder if sending the other Rangers to the Changeling Lands was the best idea.

Stabbing a grunt through the chest, he glanced up at the Command Tower and hoped Princess Luna was all right. She had gone with him in her battle gear to attack the new creatures attacking, but had been blindsided by several fire blasts that had come out of nowhere. For a single horrifying moment, the Midnight Blue Ranger had thought that the Orange Ranger had turned on them, but when no more blasts followed, he was sure that it had to be a fluke. Soon after, he had Luna retreat to the Tower for her own protection. That was a good thing as he had caught sight of a creature he had hoped to never set eyes on again – Discord.

The humanoid monster was sporting a new set of armour that was maddeningly familiar but wasn't doing much of anything…almost as if his initial attack had been to draw him out into the open. Grunting in surprise as a barrage of punches forced him to drop his Lance; he attempted to roll away from the vicious assault. Summoning his Element Blade Blaster, he snapped off a few shots at the grunts around him before taking stock of his situation. While he had destroyed a handful of grunts, it seemed that more and more kept popping up out of nowhere. Leaping over the heads of a group of newly-summoned creatures, he snapped off a few more, wholly ineffective, shots and started running towards Discord.

"I don't think so."

Once again, Billy dove out of the way as a powerful haymaker swished over his head. He cursed himself for not noticing the arrival of the reverse centaur creature that he had battled against the day before and recalled his Acceptance Lance. Discord was hanging in the back, apparently directing the creatures around him non-verbally. Before he even had the time to scramble to his feet, a heavy foot slammed into his back and forced him to the ground. Warnings flashed on the inside of his helmet as his armour tried to repair itself against the crushing damage being done. Attempting to raise his body on his arms was no better; every time he thought he would be able to push up…he was slammed back down again.

"Who…who are you?"

The creature above him chuckled in the same rich voice and kicked the Ranger in the side. Billy tumbled through the crowd of grunts, bowling them over and coming to a rest at the base of one of the fortified Guard posts. Struggling to look up despite the pain, Billy's mouth dried up as he saw it unhook the sword on its back. There would be no stopping the blow to come and Billy fervently hoped that Luna, Spike or whoever was in the Command Tower would be able to teleport him to safety before the blow came. The reverse Centaur stepped forward and laughed.

"Pathetic fool, I am Dark Hoof; the leader of the Trotters. I serve no one else but my Master, no matter what name or form he takes. Now…die!"

The gigantic blade rose and cleaved through the air as it fell. Billy closed his eyes and waited for the familiar feeling of teleportation…but nothing happened. There was no teleportation tingle nor were there massive amounts of pain as the blade punctured his armour. There were other sounds around him as well, things being scraped across the rocky skin of the creatures, laser blasts filling the air and muffled explosions booming out. Opening his eyes at the strained grunting above him, Billy's eyes widened as he took in the scene around him.

The Ultra Rangers had come.

Above him was Weihan in his Assault Armour, blades out and straining against Dark Hoof's blade. The White and Silver Ultra Rangers were attacking the creatures around them and were making much better progress than he had done before. Even the new Rangers, the Crystal Rangers, were fighting like pros and shattering the grunts around them. Discord was still hanging back, but he had taken something off his belt. Whatever it was, it looked to bizarre to be a weapon of some sort as there was no visible opening for a blade. Shaking his head, Billy slid away and shakily rose to his feet. Summoning the Tricera Cannon, he took aim at Dark Hoof and fired a pulse of searing energy at the reverse creature. The Orange Ranger leapt out of the way just in time and fired lasers from the shoulder cannons.

"Billy, why didn't you tell us the new guy could create Golems?"

"Golems? What are you talking about…the grunts? Aren't they Super Putties with things added?"

Weihan shook his head and the Midnight Blue Ranger realised he was dealing with a whole other kettle of fish – whatever that expression meant anyway. Further conversation was stalled when lightning blasted down from the sky, forming even more of the strange Golems. He heard a muted groan from the Ranger behind him and chuckled. Looking down at the Tricera Cannon, he noticed, for the first time, that there were strange attachments that had opened up near the main 'horns'. If he didn't know any better, he would have said they were weapon connectors but he didn't think he had any weapons to slot there. His Acceptance Lance could possibly fit but…

"Watch out!"

Flipping back, he blasted at a trio of Golems that were rearing back for…something. The energy impacted against their bodies and they fell back in a shower of flame and sparks. Blinking at the light show, he ducked as a tightly grouped trio of fireballs blasted over his head. He turned to Weihan to ask what he thought he was doing, but spied him viciously attacking Discord for some reason. The strange weapon in the humanoid pony's hands had transformed into a strange blade that looked like it was made out of pure shadow or black ice. Squinting at the weapon as best as he could, Billy's eyes widened as he recognised the weapon and what it was connected to.

The Hellfire Armour.

Somehow, Discord had inherited the Dark Ultra Crystal from Lord Zedd and had connected to it. The blonde didn't know how such a thing would be remotely possible, but for the time being, he didn't care. Summoning the Acceptance Lance for the third time in the battle, he felt for the seam that separated both halves and threw the weapon into the air. On a whim, he held the Tricera Cannon straight up and called out the first name that came to mind.

"Harmony Cannon!"

In a bright burst of blue light, both halves of the Acceptance Lance attached to the side of the Cannon with the pointed ends facing him. Not caring about what would happen with a strong kickback; he opened fire on the Golems around him and watched as they crumpled into dust within seconds. Charging up a blast, he leapt over another set of fireballs before aiming at Dark Hoof. To his credit, the creature teleported out of the way of the blast, the charged laser destroying the Golems on either side of the battling Rangers.

"The battle here is yours, Ranger. Discord – we're leaving now!"

In several flashes of light, the remaining forces vanished. After doing a quick headcount, the Orange Ranger sighed heavily and looked at Billy. Retracting his visor, the Asian said only one thing that filled Billy with a torrent of uncertainty.

"We need to talk."

TBC…


	12. Cratered

Chapter 12: Cratered

"Incoming!"

Twilight leapt out of the way as another volley of rockets impacted the ground a few feet away from her. The ground erupted in a series of explosions that tore up the ground, flinging dirt and rocks in all directions. Taking aim with her Magic Launchers, she fired off a charged blast of her own and heard the distant rumble of disintegrating monsters. She had eventually snapped out of her stupor just in time to see a monster rearing up to strike at the Changeling Queen. Although the purple unicorn still had some reservations about the insectoid pony, her body had acted on its own. Of course, a few seconds later and she could have avoided being slashed in the upper thigh…but it was a small price to pay to ensure the safety of the royals behind her. The Power was healing everything nicely and had even staunched the flow of blood.

Looking around the battlefield, she had to admit that Applejack was a rather capable second-in-command. The Red Ranger had directed each Ranger to a specific point in the Capital to deal with the monsters in the area. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were keeping watch in the skies and easily defeating any monsters that tried to flee the area. The Yellow Ranger had even finely tuned her Element Control to fire off several crescents of air just by making a chopping motion with her front legs. At the main wall breaches were Applejack and Pinkie, the two Earth Ponies destroying the majority of the incoming forces. The icon of the Red Ranger on her radar suddenly blinked brightly, a sign that the Elemental Zeo Armour had been summoned. As Pinkie's icon flashed as well, she wondered exactly how heavy the fighting was at the front. Rarity had been positioned at the rear to deal with any monsters that managed to make it past the overwhelming attacks of the other Rangers. She had also been positioned there to direct the 'civilian' Changelings to safety and use her magic to boost the Elemental Control of the other Rangers.

In contrast, Twilight had been given the most important job of all – protecting the Queen and ensuring her safety throughout the attack. Princess Celestia was assisting her, but as it seemed the strongest monsters were being directly teleported to their area, the Princess couldn't do much. Clenching her teeth together, Twilight dug her hooves into the ground and fired off another volley from her Magic Launchers. Twin streams of fiery energy erupted from the barrels once more and lanced into a group that had just finished teleporting in. She checked how long the battle had gone for and bit back a curse. Just over an hour…and they were yet to make any sizeable dents in the attacking swarm. There had been some reports from the Command Tower that Discord had attacked Canterlot with new foot soldiers, but it seemed Billy was repelling them. Of course, Princess Luna had gotten slightly singed in the process but she was recovering while Spike helped.

"Twilight, look out!"

Wearily lifting her head, the Purple Ranger threw herself out of the way as a new monster appeared. Whatever it was, it looked much different to the other creatures; while it still had the same reptilian look, its body was stockier and rows of armoured scutes lined its upper arms. The claws on the ends of its fingers looked sharp enough to pierce the Elemental Zeo Armour and the jaws…well; she didn't want to experience first-hoof how strong they were. There was only one thing that she knew had to be done in order to keep the royal ponies safe. Charging up a shot, she blasted the new creature with a supercharged blast to disorientate it before backing up and summoning the Dragonfire Gem.

"Dragonfire Ranger!"

Princess Celestia covered her eyes with a hoof as her prized student transformed into the humanoid Ranger form. The creature in front of them was more than a match for her normal Ranger form but, as Twilight pulled out the Dragonstrike Sword, it was easy work for the strong Battlizer Armour. She glanced over at Chrysalis to gauge her reaction and stifled a grin. Her old friend was looking at the battle in front of her with wide eyes and a jaw that hung open in shock. She realised that, although she had seen the Equestrian Rangers before, this was the first time she had seen the Dragonfire Battlizer in action as well as seeing the Rangers fighting against actual monsters.

"Are you all right?"

She had to ask the question as it was pretty overwhelming to see a Ranger battle up close, especially without the benefit of a computerised HUD that told you where everypony was. Flicking her eyes down the menu, she checked in on Canterlot to see how the battle was progressing. She couldn't see anything from the camera feeds around the city, but she saw from the radar that Billy was actively engaged with two creatures at once. One was Discord but the other…was a complete mystery to her. If she was going to venture a guess, she would have guessed it was one of the Trotters or even a monster.

"That…what is that? Do the dragons know you have one of their treasures?"

"Yes, it seems that the helper of my student is the son of Dryken. A while ago, he was entrusted with their most valued treasures. One was the long forgotten Element of Acceptance and the other was the Dragonfire Gem. Both have become great additions to the arsenal of the Rangers."

As the last syllable fell from her lips, the creature in front of Twilight was engulfed in a column of blazing energy. Three more monsters dropped in above the rulers, but it seemed Twilight had the situation well in hand. Leaping into the air, she slashed the heavy sword across the stomachs of all three creatures, the energy she had charged the blade with consuming their bodies from the inside. Two of the crocodilian creatures exploded in a shower of sparks but the third creature managed to land on the ground with its deep wound starting to heal. Twilight swallowed nervously and ran her tongue over her teeth. Selecting an option on the menu, she felt her body jerk backward slightly as two shoulder attachments broke off to form boomerang blades. The blades raced through the air and slashed deep into the face of the monster, drawing more of its purple and green blood. Whether by choice or otherwise, it seemed that Tricksy had retracted her forces and had placed victory squarely on the shoulders of the creature in front of her.

Dismissing her blade, she flexed her fingers and readied the claws. As the monster charged towards her, she lowered her stance and slashed out with both arms. The claws sliced deep into the monster and she felt a burning pain as its jaws latched around her upper arm. This was a bad situation to be in as if she demorphed, the strength of the bite would sever her leg from the body. Warnings were flashing in the inside of her helmet informing her that the Morphin Connectors were critical and in the red…whatever that meant. She was starting to wish she had learnt more about the internal structure of the Ranger Armour but that was a moot point now. Reaching up with her free hand, she attempted to dig the claws into its eyes but the pain that shot through her body prevented anything more than a feeble jab.

A bright red and purple flash obscured her vision and she screamed as the pain became more intense. Looking down, she saw that the Battlizer Armour had failed under the enormous amount of damage it had sustained and her regular Ranger Armour wasn't doing anything to keep the teeth out of her front left leg. She saw blood seep out of her armour and wondered when the pain would finally come to an end. A few seconds after that thought, the pressure on her leg relaxed as the monster flung her to one side. Landing in a crumpled heap at the base of a building, Twilight weakly lifted her head up just in time to see the monster throw its bloodstained head back and laugh. It stepped back and – just as five beams of energy reached it – began to grow.

"Foolish Rangers…"

Turning around at the voice, Celestia's eyes narrowed as she saw the hunched form of Tricksy perched on a nearby balcony. The reptilian pony's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the damage the monster had done to the Purple Ranger. There would be no chance that the Ranger could control one of the Zords, which meant that they would have almost no chance in stopping her monster from rampaging.

"You will all pay for taking the true Master away from me! Lord Zedd will rise again and you will be powerless against him!"

The azure pony/crocodile vanished in a puff of smoke before Celestia could speak. Rushing to the side of Twilight, she grimaced at the ragged mess of flesh and armour that the left leg had become. Gingerly pressing on the side of her neck, the Alicorn Princess could feel a feathery pulse…but it was getting weaker. Being immortal, such an injury wouldn't kill the unicorn, but it would certainly keep her out of the battle for at least a year or so…time which they didn't have. She looked at the Red Ranger with apologetic eyes and pressed the communicator under the hoof covering of the Purple Ranger. As they dissolved into sparkles, Applejack sighed to herself. One Zord out of commission would mean they couldn't form any Megazord combinations…

They would have to give it everything they had.

TBC…


	13. Connections

Chapter 13: Connections

It was like staring at a mirror image.

Billy's eyes were wide as he watched the images on screen. Rocklike humanoids with knobbly faces were everywhere and, as the 'camera' swung around wildly, the Midnight Blue Ranger began to feel slightly claustrophobic. Every now and then, there would be a flash of a reptilian being with eerie hollow pits where the eyes should have been. The images were made slightly more surreal and demonic by the flickering light coming off fires in the background. Judging from the gasps around him, he knew that none of the other Rangers had seen this footage…and for good reason as well. Bodies lay everywhere in various states of destruction; some with their limbs ripped off, some burning and some were being dissolved by a strange green goo.

"My first real taste of what Xonix was capable of."

Nodding slowly, Billy mentally shook himself and focused on the creatures the Orange Ranger had said were Golems. Aesthetically, they had the same body structure and shape as the grunts he had just battled but they had been more…unicorn-like. There had to be some sort of logical explanation as to how Night Shade had created pretty much exact replicas of grunts the Ultra Rangers battled on a constant basis. Perhaps Night Shade was a devout follower of Xonix and had somehow slipped through the cracks like that other monster had during the campaign against Zedd. Another possibility was that Xonix had somehow split into two, with one half coming to Equestria and the other half endlessly wandering the dimensions…but that scenario was quite possibly a pipe dream.

"The reptilian creatures are called Fiends. Their skin is resistant to blunt impacts and non-charged blade strikes. They have the ability to spit out an acidic substance that can eat through pretty much anything. The only way to get it off when in a 'lower' Power form is to change to the full Battle Armour."

"Battle Armour, Activate!"

A wash of colour obscured the screen as the figure transformed into the original set of Ultra Ranger Battle Armour. For Billy, Princess Luna and Spike, this was their first time seeing the White Ranger-esque vest; whereas the other Rangers had seen the original set of armour many times before. Pausing at the moment where the Raptor Cannon was summoned for the first time, Weihan tapped a few buttons on the console and an image pulled from the battle against Discord popped up. It was very clear to everyone that the humanoid pony was clad in his own set of Hellfire Armour, complete with an evil version of the Dragonbreath Blade. Running a hand through his hair, Weihan stepped forward.

"Any thoughts on how this could be possible? The only one who could use the Dark Crystal in Equestria is, or was, Zedd but…"

His sentence trailed off as a thought occurred to him. While it was true that Zedd had been the primary user of the Dark Crystal, Discord was both a native of the world and had powerful magic in the past. Maybe, just maybe, that was enough to force the Dark Crystal to choose him as an alternate bearer. That wouldn't be right as Discord wouldn't be able to use the full potential of the Crystal or allow any amount of power from it to escape back into the 'home' dimension. He had a strange feeling the energy from the Dark Ultra Crystal was still needed for some reason in the future but he couldn't be sure as to what it was. He seriously doubted it would be used for anything good, though you never really knew with nebulously defined power sources. They could change and attach themselves to any Tom, Dick and Harry the dimensions and had limited amounts of sentience also…

"Shit! That's it! Discord took the Dark Crystal after the battle and in the past two years, it bonded with him!"

He paused and looked around. Save for the Crystal Rangers, everyone was looking at him with a look that suggested he had lost his mind. Admittedly, it was a bit of a stretch but it was the only thing that made sense. Even if one wasn't a chosen Bearer, just being near an Ultra Crystal allowed it to exert its influence and form links. That was pretty much the reason why both Ashley and Sam had demonstrated similar attributes to their girlfriends. Physical contact only strengthened the ties and he wouldn't be surprised if Ashley could summon Eliza's Dinozord in a few years. Shaking his head, he opened his mouth to clarify his reasoning, when two teleportation beams entered the Command Tower. Half turning to acknowledge the new arrivals, his eyes went wide as the beams coalesced into two distinct forms, one of them heavily injured.

"Sister! What happened?"

"Twi! Are you all right?"

Billy swallowed hard as the Purple Ranger's morph shattered, revealing the seriousness of the wound that had been inflicted. Forcing himself to step forward, he could see where the skin and flesh had been all but ripped away and, if he desired to, he could see the off-white sheen of bone. His mind raced as the other Ultra Rangers hastily tidied up the area around the Medical Bay, but there was almost nothing that could be done to save the limb. He could cobble up an artificial leg that would work well with the Element Powers but that was all he could do…well, unless their immortality allowed them to regrow lost limbs. A bath in the water from the Eternal Falls would only heal the immediate area and wouldn't replenish any of the lost blood or set the shattered bones. The Purple Ranger would be out of action for an indeterminate amount of time and he hated to think of the damage that could occur with them short a Ranger. Through her tears and heaving sobs, Princess Celestia explained what happened.

"Tricksy…she created an abomination. Twilight changed into her Battlized form but the monster caught her arm and…"

She trailed off as Twilight weakly opened her eyes. The Purple Ranger looked around her and locked eyes with Billy, her pleading expression conveying the thoughts and feelings she wanted so desperately to say. The Midnight Blue Ranger looked torn for a moment but relaxed as Weihan placed his hand on his shoulder. If the Rangers were up against a powerful monster, then his place was with them. The Orange Ranger would find a way to save Twilight and return their Ranger to them in one piece. Shakily nodding, Billy looked at Twilight one more time before running down a hall to the Zord Bays.

"Princess, I need you to move to one side. Not too far, just far enough that you won't accidentally brush the energy stream with your hypnotically moving mane."

Forcing out a watery chuckle, Celestia shuffled to one side and allowed the Orange Ranger to pass. Pressing down on the jewel on her vest once again, her Battle Armour faded back into its subspace pocket and she allowed the Silver and White Ultra Rangers to help her to her hooves. Nodding at the three unfamiliar girls whom she assumed were Rangers, her attention was drawn to the Ranger hunched over the prone form of the Purple Ranger.

"All right, Twilight, just relax and this will be over fast."

"Don't…don't hurt yourself. Don't overdo anything…"

Weihan smiled down at the purple unicorn and tried to keep his breakfast from reappearing. Easing the powerful Orange Crystal out of his chest, he held it over Twilight's body and inhaled deeply.

This was going to hurt…

TBC…


	14. Wolfish Surprise

AN: One year ago today, the first chapter of Rangers of Equestria was published. One year later and that's finished with 14 chapters written of the second story…where _everything_ intensifies.

Chapter 14: Wolfish Surprise

"It's too strong!"

Fluttershy had barely squeaked out the words before the cockpit shook violently around her. Flapping her wings, she flew up off the platform as it buckled and creaked ominously, the Zord moving in unison with her motions. They hadn't even fought for five minutes and the monster had practically destroyed any chance of using the Warriorzord combinations against it. Glancing nervously to one side of the battlefield, she saw the badly battered form of the Apple Flyer listing on its side, belching smoke from a large tear in its side. The Red and Blue Rangers weren't injured any further but they were out of the battle until further notice. Rarity was hanging back with the Generosity Harmonyzord and blasting the creature with every weapon on her Zord. Pinkie had tried the same but it seemed that, no matter how fast they were fired, frozen eggs weren't the best against a rampaging beast.

"What do we do now? Can we lure it out of the city?"

The Yellow Ranger swallowed hard and looked around for a suitable place to lead the creature. Everywhere she looked was either burning or destroyed and the battle was getting dangerously close to the Royal Palace. Good friend or not, she doubted Queen Chrysalis would like Celestia's Rangers destroying the place where she lived. She hated stepping up and taking charge, but she was the only one that could under the circumstances. Pushing her fear and uncertainty away, she opened her mouth to give orders, silently wondering why she could hear a Lion roar inside her head.

"Rarity, get its attention and lead it to the south. If we get it away from the cave, there is a possibility that Tricksy can't directly power it. Pinkie…destroy the cave and everything around it. Applejack and Rainbow Dash…um, you two can either stay or teleport to the Command Tower and watch from there."

Although no replies came back, Fluttershy knew her words had been heard. The still form of the Apple Flyer vanished in a burst of sparks and two teleportation beams streaked off in the direction of Canterlot. The Generosity Harmonyzord launched a burning mass of flares into the eyes of the creature, causing it to roar in anger and pain and lumber towards the mechanical beast. Inside the motion-control cockpit of the Zord, Rarity swallowed and backed away from the monster while continuing to fire the lasers and flares. She knew Fluttershy had the beginnings of a plan in her mind and, whatever it was, that it would surely work out…eventually. Checking the rear cameras constantly to ensure nothing else was destroyed; the Green Ranger's Zord leapt into the air and landed a few kilometres away from the cave. Wincing at the tremor produced by the landing of her Zord, she fired off another volley of flares at the creature before checking on the others.

As expected, Pinkie was blasting the cave with her cannons. However, what _wasn't_ expected were the projectiles used. How exactly water balloons were expected to destroy anything was anyone's guess, but she shrugged it off as normal for things revolving around the Pink Ranger. Fluttershy was still in the air, proving she was both an effective commander and a capable strategist, blasting the back of the creature with the lasers on her Zord. Every few minutes, a crescent of 'razor' wind would strike the monster and push it away from the cave. Over the radio, she could hear excited shouts coming from the Command Tower, but Rarity forced herself to stay on task. The last thing anyone needed was for her to be distracted and…wait, where did the monster go?

"Above you!"

Sliding the Zord backwards, Rarity bit back a yelp of surprise as the monster landed inches away from the Zord. Limbs flailing wildly, she accidentally selected an attack that she had been told about but never had the courage to execute in battle. The horn in the middle of the Zord's head glowed once before the covering on the tip retracted into the metal covering, revealing a glowing green and purple core. The monster growled in confusion and bent over to see what the metal horse was doing. A few seconds later, a bright flare of light erupted from the tip and blasted the creature's eyes; the burning energy destroying the sensitive organs in an instant. The damage didn't end there as the energy penetrated the toughened skin of the creature and affected its nervous system. As the monster raised its hands to claw at its now useless eyes, it found itself unable to move from its hunched position. For a few precious minutes, the monster was immobile and was kicked away from the city centre by the Generosity Harmonyzord.

"Good work girls. Now I can destroy the monster."

The voice washed over the speakers inside the Zords and, as one, the Rangers looked toward the horizon for the source. Running over the flat plains was the Wolf Shogunzord, the metallic animal gleaming in the light as it passed by small towns – startling the local ponies. Knowing that they had done all they could do, the three Rangers hung back and wondered exactly what the Wolfzord could do that their Zords could not. As the monster finally began to regain some movement, the head of the Wolf came up and blasted a thick blue laser at the side of the creature. As the energy impacted against the side of the creature, a wave of ice and frost expanded to engulf the monster in a thick coat of what looked to be solid ice.

Inside the cockpit of the Wolf Shogunzord, Billy began running through the final preparations needed to perform the untested operation. He knew everything would work perfectly and the earlier shortage of energy he had encountered was pretty much negated by the addition of the Ninjetti Energies. Releasing the control sticks, he pulled out a keypad from his left side and began typing in the final touches. Already, he could see the ice covering beginning to crack as the blinded monster struggled violently from within. Flicking an eye over the recording of the Prism Beam, he made a mental note to check the output as the flash shouldn't have had the ability to blind the monster within moments. Or maybe it was a side-effect of the tinkering the Ultra Rangers had done, he didn't know. Pressing down on the activation button, he heard the sub-reactors hum to life and felt the Zord shift around him in preparation. Exhaling slowly, he called out the command.

"Wolf Shogunzord, Shogun Mode!"

Powerful jets on the underside of the feet blasted to life and rocketed the Zord into the air. Panels along the lower flanks opened up to reveal sturdy 'sheaths' of armour. The back legs straightened as much as they could and the feet flattened themselves out. The sheaths locked into place over the straightened legs to form sturdy supports and a few remaining pieces slid over the feet to form boots. Billy nodded to himself and turned his attention to the upper half of the transforming Zord. In various simulations he had run, this was where everything went pear-shaped. The front legs underwent the same straightening process and the feet turned ninety degrees in their housings to form claw-like hands. A grinding sound reverberated through the cockpit as metal slid over metal to pull the limbs to the sides to form arms. From the belly of the Wolf came four fully-formed sections of armour that slid over the arms to provide more strength and support. The cockpit shuddered as it slid back, away from the head, and the Midnight Blue Ranger swallowed as he felt himself rotate so he was looking up at the sky. He could see the tail detaching from the rear of the Zord and connect with more pieces of metal that had come off from the flanks of the Zord, forming a jousting lance. Wrapping his hands around the control sticks, he initiated the final step.

The cockpit shuddered once again as the head of the Zord rotated ninety degrees, resting against the chest of the transformed Zord for a brief moment before locking into place. From the back of the Zord, where the concealed turrets had been housed, rose a head that was styled in the shape of a wolf-themed samurai helmet. Allowing the cockpit to finish righting itself, he waited for the four clicks that signalled everything was in working order. They came in rapid succession and he ticked them off mentally as the jousting lance attached to the back of the humanoid Warriorzord. Switching off most of the rockets, he allowed the Zord to land on the ground as thin sheets of armour covered the joints at the 'shoulders'.

"Wolf Shogun, transformation complete."

TBC…


	15. Battle Test

Chapter 15: Battle Test

Everything was holding…for now.

Raising the arms of the Wolf Shogun to block a dual downward strike from the monster, Billy nervously looked at the screens around him as he compensated for the minute differences in the readings. So far, the Zord Invincibility was still holding, despite his initial reservations about it having diminished from his previous Zord battles. He guessed the system considered the Shogun Mode to be completely separate from the original form…which suited him just fine. He needed to see what the Zord could do without it being shredded in the process and, if he thought it could help, would even ask the Orange Ranger for some input…provided if he could still stand after he healed Twilight. The cockpit shuddered around him and he pulled back on the control sticks, the arms of the Zord winning in their struggle against the creature. Twisting them around and forward, he successfully executed a double palm strike on the monster and pulled back on the triggers. The hands of the Warriorzord were instantly covered in a light sheen of blue-green energy and the Zord grabbed onto the upper arms of the monster.

"Arctic Chill!"

The monster let out a puzzled growl as its arms began to feel cold. A thin layer of frost soon formed on the arms and the monster's eyes widened in fear. Billy allowed the grip on the arms to loosen by the tiniest of margins as the full force of the attack was unleashed. He could almost hear the crystallisation in the air as the supercooled liquid snap-froze the arms of the monster, from the skin all the way down to the bone, within milliseconds. A quick twist later and the creature was left staring in fear at the jagged stumps that were its arms. Its brain finally catching up to the signals that were being sent, it reared back and howled in fear and imagined pain; rushing the Wolf Shogun with the quickly melting stumps held out in front of its body. As it reached striking distance, it swung to the left and allowed its heavy tail to strike the wolf's head on the chest. The Wolf Shogun staggered back as a warning flashed on Billy's screen.

[Cryo Laser Main Generator breach. Estimated repair time: 5 minutes]

Scowling lightly at the message, Billy thanked the decision of the Orange Ranger to wreck the Training Rooms during his first visit. The ZARS ensured that any scrape, dings and minor 'injuries' inflicted on their Zords would be repaired within minutes and he had yet to see any damage that couldn't be fixed. On the other hand, they hadn't really had many Zord battles during the campaign against Zedd and the Zord Invincibility had ensured that not much harm came to the Zords anyway. Taking his right hand off the control stick, he tapped a few keys on the pad on his right arm rest. Hearing the acknowledgment chime, he smiled to himself and allowed the energy to build up in the chamber. Even though the Main Generator had been breached, the Cryo Lasers had a backup generator that could be utilised for the finisher…but it would take longer to charge up. He had run several simulations about what would happen if both generators were used at the same time to power the finisher, but it always ended with the same result.

Complete and total annihilation of the surrounding areas.

If possible, he would want to avoid that particular scenario as it would highlight the dangers of Ranger Battles. On the other hand, this was a battle against one of Tricksy's monsters and the best that had been sent down by Night Shade, a curious fusion of a dolphin and a fly, had been dealt with in record time. Continually moving the control sticks around to parry the continual tail attacks from the creature, Billy flipped on the live feed from the Command Tower to see what was happening. He could see the Orange Ranger still healing Twilight, his body glowing with orange and purple light, while the other Ultra and Crystal Rangers looked on. If he remembered his Modern History correctly, the major event in their dimension that had just happened was the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York. He wondered if the same thing had happened, that the Lightspeed Rangers had rushed to help but had been too late. He doubted it was the case though; their dimensions had developed differently due to the continuation of Project Ultra and a few other events.

The Crystal Rangers…now, they were an interesting group of Rangers. He wondered if, since they were under the 'umbrella' of the Ultra Rangers, they would be exempt from the three rules like the Ultras were. He had a strong feeling they were but, knowing Weihan, they would have some guidelines to follow to prevent them from going rogue. And as an all-female team, they would have unique challenges facing them but it seemed that they were facing some of the challenges now in their recruitment of the rest. Only three Rangers, out of seven, had joined up which would mean they wouldn't be able to form a Megazord on their own…unless there was some rather creative joint connections in place. Yanking the control sticks to the left side, the Wolf Shogun managed to sink its claws into the tail of the monster and fling it to one side. The monster landed in a groaning and bleeding heap and Billy smirked, satisfied with his timing.

[Cryo Laser Generator fully repaired. Activating Main Generator together with backup.]

He swallowed hard at the message on the screen. There was no turning back from the destruction to happen now. Releasing the control sticks, he withdrew the keypad and began typing commands hastily into the mainframe of the machine. There was one chance to avert the destruction that was about to happen, but the window of opportunity was closing extremely rapidly. Keeping an eye on the monster as it struggled to get to its feet; he deployed the shock anchors into the ground below and opened up all of the vents on the machine. He stifled a wry chuckle and looked at the camera feed, switching it from the shocked and stunned looks of the Rangers in the Command Tower. Very soon, he saw the reason for their astonishment.

Although he had placed the cooling vents in strategic positions on the Wolfzord, they had the added bonus of giving the humanoid Warriorzord a literal Hellish appearance in the form of spikes. Shoulder spikes, spikes on the back and even a few spiked on both heads of the Zord made a chuckle escape his lips as he desperately tried to avoid sending the Changeling Lands into an early winter. A sharp noise alerted him to that fact that the energy chamber had become fully charged and both Generators were working overtime to keep up with the energy requirements. Allowing the final vent to open, the Midnight Blue Ranger slid the keypad back into its hole and wrapped his fingers around the control sticks once more. Firing a beam of unparalleled destruction at a monster was a good way to destroy it, but he had no idea what the after-effects would be. Well, there was no turning back now and he inhaled shakily, preparing himself for the final shout.

"Wolf Beam!"

TBC…


	16. Triple

Chapter 16: Triple

"No early winter is always a good thing."

Billy nodded absently and reviewed the images once more. The battle had ended spectacularly, with the Wolf Shogun being covered with a larger veil of blue-green energy before the energy was redirected to the wolf's head. A moment later, a spiralling dark blue and yellow beam had lanced out and drilled through the monster, instantly freezing it. The energy had then, somehow, changed wavelengths and had delivered what could only have been described as a 'sonic pulse' to the frozen beast. The result had been chunks of flash-frozen monster raining down on the entire area for a few seconds. While that had been better than winter devastation, the Midnight Blue Ranger was trying to work out what had happened to the destruction that his simulators had predicted.

"I guess…how are you holding up though? When do you need to go back through?"

Weihan shook his head and stretched his arms over his head, grimacing slightly at the muted pops coming from his body. They had spent around four hours in Equestria, which meant there was about an hour or so left for him to kill before they had to cross over once more…though he wanted to leave pretty soon. He had a strange feeling something would happen later on and he needed to be ready for it. He was pretty tired from healing Twilight and trying to ensure the Purple Ranger didn't develop a permanent link to the Ultra Grid. As it was, the unicorn would be feeling a marked increase of power in the next couple of battles but if she used the Dragonfire Gem, the power would be used up in one hit. He doubted the power would go into her Zord but if it did, there probably wouldn't be too much of an increase.

"Shit! Look out!"

Their heads turned in the direction of the shout just in time to see a copy of the Ivory Tiger Crystal Ranger crumble into sparking dust. The Orange Ranger sighed and shook his head as he walked over to the practicing Rangers. He had sensed a wellspring of magic potential inside them and had been teaching them to create their own magic duplicates. After all, he couldn't always create one for them on the fly. They had varying levels of success but the one that seemed to be struggling to most was Liz, the Australian having trouble understanding the complicated formulae behind most magic. The one that had it the easiest seemed to be Bec, but the Onyx Mammoth Ranger liked to shape certain…attributes…of the clone to her liking. He did not mind that one bit and Rachelle had jokingly suggested getting to know the clones intimately. He had rolled his eyes and shook his head, but they were improving by the minute.

"Liz, relax. Clear your mind of any and all distractions and noise. Concentrate on being in two places at once and the Power will do the rest."

He could see the others listening with his explanation and silently thanked his internal guide for the lesson. He didn't have to receive a response to tell him it had heard, feeling the magical energies swirl in front of him. A muted flash of light later and a near-perfect replica of Liz stood in front of him. He reached out with the Power to see how sturdy it was and if it was going to crumble any second. Surprisingly, it had a rate of decay that was only slightly slower than the clones he had created and would last for…well, he couldn't tell how long but he guessed it would last a few days at least. Nodding his approval, he averted his eyes and tried to suppress the extremely dirty thoughts that flashed through his mind as he noted the state of dress of the clone.

"Ah, OK, next will be to visualise clothing on the clone for…uh…decency purposes."

A muffled shriek followed soon after by the sound of the clone being re-absorbed into the original. He turned to see Rachelle looking at him with a knowing look in her eyes and he nodded slightly. Walking towards the Silver Ranger, he snuck a quick glance over his shoulder to see the next clone Liz produced actually having clothing on its body. The Ivory Tiger Ranger shot him a devilish look before turning back to admire her creation. As he neared the other Ultra Rangers, he could see most of the Equestrian Rangers lounging near them. Will, of all people, was even engaged in a discussion about…something or other with Rarity. Whatever they were discussing, it was quickly turning into a rather heated conversation. Not heat as in angry but the other meaning of heat…which made him flash back to the events that happened under the spell. Well, if Will wanted to stick it into a unicorn, that was his business.

"Three Rangers…Ah don't mean ta seem rude or anything, but what're they gonna do about a Megazord? There's no way a Megazord could be created with three Zords, right?"

He turned to Applejack and fought the urge to shake his head. While the reaction of the others upon seeing him again had been a bit of a strain on his recovering body, the Red and Yellow Rangers had hung back and waited until he had recovered before swallowing him up on bone-crushing hugs. Shaking off that thought, he looked at the trio in front of him before asking himself that same question. On the news, he had seen footage of the newest Power Ranger team battling in their Megazord, the Storm Megazord, and that was something that was only made up of three Zords. Well, if he wanted to really be technical about it, it was one Zord with two smaller attachment Zords. And then there had been those plans he had seen on Eltare, the ones that Billy had hopefully sent to Tommy, detailing a three-Dinozord Megazord. And the Trizord Alex had created but that had been more of a Warriorzord combination and not a true Megazord, much like the Mega Raptorzord he had busted out against the Psycho Megazord.

Frowning slightly, he guessed in the future there would be three-Zord Megazords springing up out of the woodwork though what they would be comprised of was anyone's guess. As the three animal and three dinosaur combinations were the most obvious ones; he guessed that to really stand out, the next three-Zord combination would have to be of rescue vehicles, animalised hybrids or some other strange thing he hadn't though of. Making a mental note to ask Ninjor about the Zord issue, he turned back to the Red Ranger and nodded once.

"Yeah, the thought's crossed my mind a few times. I don't even know what their Megazord would look like anyway with only three Zords. Plus, I'd be willing to bet that, on its own, the Ivory Tigerzord can transform into its own Warrior Mode so…"

He allowed the sentence to trail off and as the Red Ranger nodded, he knew that she had the same thoughts as him. Even if the three Crystal Dinozords couldn't form a Mega combination, the Tigerzord had the Warrior Mode and everything would be all right until the other four got their heads out of their asses and saw the opportunity being presented to them. If not, he guessed he could always step in with his various Zord combinations until the Core Five were formed anyway. He checked his watch and nodded to the other Ultras.

It was time to get back.

TBC…


	17. Conflicting Emotions

Chapter 17: Conflicting Emotions

"That was rather…unexpected."

Discord blinked once at the image replaying on the screen. Who would have thought that the Midnight Blue Ranger had a transformation mode hidden away in his Zord? If it had been revealed earlier, then there would have been something he could have done about it but, knowing the Rangers and their ingenuity, anything he had done would probably resolve itself within days. Tapping his chin with a finger, he wondered what he could do to save face. Risking a glance at Night Shade, he saw the black pony was watching the transformation with a look of resigned acceptance on his face. That made some amount of sense as he would have seen many other Ranger teams use individually transforming Zords. However, the combination of the Zords of the Red and Blue Rangers was seemingly overlooked.

"And yet, par for the course."

Discord nodded as best as he could and looked back to the screen. The images were showing the attacks the Midnight Blue Ranger had initiated. Whatever energy scanners were built in to their 'base' showed the 'Arctic Chill' attack to be around minus 195 degrees and it was pretty much the energy version of blasting out something called liquid nitrogen. After seeing what it had done to the arms of the creature, Discord didn't want anything like that to envelop him as there was a good chance that he would never be able to recover from it. As the recorded image began to play again from the beginning, Discord narrowed his eyes slightly at the pole-like weapon that was stowed on the back of the Zord. He had a good idea as to why it hadn't been needed as the subsequent freezing and shattering of the arms of the creature had made hand-to-hand combat unnecessary. However, there had been the tail attacks of the monster…

He would have to send out some creatures without Night Shade's knowledge to look for Tricksy and Gilda, even though he despised the worthless Griffon. Those two individuals would be integral in his plan to overthrow Night Shade and, if he could pull it off, to restore the full memory of his Master. It would, in all likelihood, be the last thing he would ever accomplish…but it would be worth it. Pushing all thoughts of his future plans to the deep recesses of his mind, he cleared his throat lightly and schooled his features slowly into an expression of fretful disdain.

"My Lord, I apologise. I was unaware the seventh Ranger had that ability built in to his Zord."

"It is of no matter to me. What of the strange new Rangers that appeared? Who are they and were did they come from?"

He swallowed hard and thought about how to word the next statements. He did not want Night Shade to learn about the Ultra Rangers just yet, but it seemed fate had larger plans in store for him. For his Master to learn about the Rangers could trigger the return of his memory sooner than anticipated but if he only revealed small pieces of information at a time, he could control the length of time. After all, he doubted his Master would suspect anything about him, his powers and the new armour he had been wearing. Thinking about the being encased in the Healing Tube, he smirked to himself and vowed that Night Shade would never find out what valuable contents were in it.

However, his plan of leaking information slowly had a major flaw he was painfully aware of. Looking at the screen, he could see that the images of the transforming Wolfzord had been replaced by images of the Ultra Rangers in battle. Who the new Rangers were and why they had been 'drafted' was a mystery to him, but it didn't really concern him as to what was happening in their dimension. He would have to search the recording archives later to see what pieces of…sensitive information he could destroy before Xonix could see them. He was sure one of the Trotters would help him as they didn't want Night Shade to recover his memory just yet, but he couldn't be too hasty. Coming up with a few short sentences, he opened his mouth and hoped he wasn't doing the wrong thing.

"They have shown up in the past, my Lord. I did not inform you as I didn't want to worry you over minor trivialities. According to what we have heard, they call themselves the Ultra Rangers."

Night Shade paused at the name. For some reason, the name seemed maddeningly familiar to him and brought up a heap of strange and disjointed images in his mind's eye. Twelve individuals clad in similar armour holding weapons of various shapes and sizes. He saw images of six Rangers he knew to be Zordon's Rangers helping a Ranger on a dark street that was littered with bodies and could feel a sense of disbelief as he 'saw' the a Ranger moving at impossibly superhuman speeds. He shook his head once, as if to clear it, and looked at the images again. Yes, he knew these Rangers…but where or when he had encountered them was frustrating to pin down. Smells of salt water and smoke flashed past his nostrils for the barest of instants and he longed to clench his fingers together in frustration. However, it seemed that he had forgotten how to change back for…some abstract reason.

It didn't matter much as he didn't seem to be able to use the most powerful spells in his arsenal anyway. He would also never tell anyone, but it felt as if there was another addition creeping somewhere inside his body, almost like a spell of some sort. Glancing down at his hooves, Night Shade snorted as he realised that to access whatever energies needed, he would require the use of fingers he no longer had. Technically, he still had fingers but they were fused together. Sighing internally, he forced himself to tell a lie so he would learn what his servant knew of them.

"Ultra…Rangers? That name doesn't seem familiar to me. Tell me, Discord, what do you know of them?"

"I have only battled them on a few occasions but they are extremely powerful. They were able to plough through a horde of hastily created monsters with ease and their Zords have terrifying force. The leader is the Orange Ranger and the second-in-command is the Purple Ranger. Their Power Sources are a set of strange crystals that they call the Ultra Crystals…"

He supposed that made some amount of sense as Rangers had the strange ability to be named after their Power Source or the planet which they were stationed. He paused in his musings as a thought flashed into his mind. There had been a wayward surge of Power on Eltare during the short amount of time he had been stationed on the planet…power that had come from Zordon's innermost lab. If it was out of the hands of Evil, then that was a marginally better outcome but it would still end in a great deal of destruction. As far as he was aware, there was no magic wax in Equestria that allowed the sapping of power from a target. He might be wrong, but there was a miniscule chance of finding it. On the other hand, things had changed since the last time he had been around and he wanted to learn more about the Rangers opposing him first.

He opened his mouth to speak when a powerful image crashed into the forefront of his mind, making his almost bite hit lower lip off. It was the twelve individuals he had seen earlier, however they were literally glowing with power. Above their helmets was a maelstrom of churning energy and the lightning crashing from above seemed to be charging their bodies to unimaginable levels. Forcing the image away with a slight wince, he calmed himself as best as he could and opened his mouth once more.

"Ultra Crystals…I have heard of that name before. So, the Crystals chose their bearers…interesting."

"You shouldn't concern yourself with them, my Lord. They have only shown up in times of extreme need or when the battles were too great for the native Rangers to handle."

He nodded and went back to his thoughts. Watching the images on screen gave him a sense of vague familiarity and, if he didn't know any better, he would have said he had crossed blades with them. Shaking his head, he hopped off the makeshift throne and wandered towards the nearby consoles. The majority of them were dark and the display screens wasted what little power flowed through them with incessant warning messages. Lifting his front left hoof, he pressed one of the buttons in the hope that the screen would switch off. Instead, there was a shrill beep and the screen switched to a wall of rapidly scrolling text. Night Shade peered at the words for a few seconds before giving up on reading them. All he could pick up on was that they were internal diagnostic reports for…something or other.

Turning to his followers, he waved a hoof towards the consoles and spoke.

"Can we…I don't know any of this technology; can't we scan their energy signatures or something?"

Relieved that his Master had dropped the subject of the Ultra Rangers, Discord walked over to the console his Master had been poking at and looked at the screen. The internal diagnostic report of damages was still scrolling by at an extremely rapid pace, but without power…well, there was pretty much no way would he be able to read everything. The only viable option was for someone to leap down the tunned into the darkness below and hope the net was still strong enough to catch them. If so…well, there was the problem of what they would do if the issue with the Main Generators couldn't be solved by just flipping a switch, not to mention if the abandoned base was connected to the Rangers in some way and they were alerted to their presence. He really didn't know what they would do if they woke up one morning to see the Megazords outside their doorstep.

"I do not see why not, but we will need to find a way to activate the Main Generators. We can only do so much on our limited system."

Night Shade cursed under his breath and considered sending Discord down to the basements. After a few moments of thought, he dismissed the idea as stupid and as waste of his resources. After all, he needed all the help he could get to deal with the strangely familiar Ultra Rangers if and when they showed up again. On the other hoof, they were all reasonably smart and clever individuals and could surely manage to rig up a harnessing device or something. After all, none of them needed to eat much anyway and what nutrients they needed could be easily found in the charred wastes around them.

"I suppose you're right. Find a way to store whatever power is not in use. Even if the Main Generators are inactive, we can have a reservoir of power for us to use."

Discord could have cackled with glee. He had thought about that very idea a few times but had figured out that such a feat was impossible. It would take many months for a viable charge to be generated and, even then, would only last for a few moments. Then again, he wasn't one to dissuade Night Shade from doing anything dangerous or potentially idiotic. The last time he had attempted to do so, Night Shade had broken two vials of magic from the Elements of Harmony. He turned to leave, but his Master's voice made him turn around once more.

"Discord, what of the trio of other Rangers? What is their affiliation to the Ultra Rangers?"

Discord cast his mind back to the battle and recalled seeing three other Rangers that weren't the Ultra Rangers. He had never seen them before and, in all honesty, had pretty much dismissed them as temporary Rangers that had been drafted. He had a strange feeling that wasn't the case, but didn't care much for any other thoughts at this stage.

"I…uh…do not know about them. They have never been seen before and I am unsure of their abilities."

Night Shade nodded and allowed his other followers to file out. The images were still playing on the screen of the so-called Ultra Rangers and he walked towards the screen slowly. Yes, he knew the Ultra Rangers from somewhere but couldn't finish the thought as his scar began itching. Absently rubbing it with his front left hoof, he wondered what it would take for his full powers to be unlocked once more.

Then nothing would be safe ever again.

TBC…


	18. Hidden Truths

Chapter 18: Hidden Truths

"What's the connection?"

Billy held his head in his hands as he scrolled through the information on the screen. The Ultra and Crystal Rangers had left and he had been reeling from the images of the strangely similar Golems that the Ultra Rangers had fought. That, in turn, had led to attempting to figure out why a pony from the pasts of the Princesses would be using pretty much the same type of foot soldiers in his attacks. Granted, there had only been one such attack so far, but he knew that they would be showing up again and again over the course of the campaign. He had been looking through the images of the fight with Dark Hoof when he had remembered the data from the archives that had been sent over, which had led to nothing more than eye strain and a massive migraine threatening to consume his mind.

Also, the insistence of the Rangers and the two Princesses being in the same room as him was a bit of a hindrance; of course he would never admit it to their faces. On the other hand, two of the Rangers in particular would allow him to bounce a theory off them. Well, only if they remembered the battles they had fought in the past. Before the thought could fully form in his mind, Twilight limped toward him. Her wounds had been fully healed, but there was some slight pain that had flared up when she had tried walking. She knew that it would fade soon as he had stated something about the nerves firing to reconfigure themselves or something like that. She may have been an ace in all things magical and mystical but concepts like anatomy flew right over her head.

"What do you mean?"

The Midnight Blue Ranger shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. The wall of text was seriously starting to get to him and make him unsure of exactly where Night Shade had originally come from. He had serious concerns that Night Shade wasn't a native to Equestria as the Princesses thought, rather that he had come from a different dimensional plane and had either been sent back or had been put into a deep slumber. Barring those options, there was another option he desperately didn't want to think about: Zedd. There was the slightest chance that the Evil Lord could have been sent back in time after the final battle, shacked up with Discord and had been pushed forward in time when Princess Celestia had unleashed the Elements of Harmony on them. However, try as he might, he couldn't reconcile the actions of the Night Shade in the past with anything resembling what Zedd had planned. If Zedd _had_ plunged into the past, then Equestria should have been a smouldering wreck…which would have thrown up a rather interesting time paradox.

"It's something Weihan showed me before. The foot soldiers that I fought in Canterlot bore a great resemblance to grunts in his dimension. Rainbow, do you recall the Golems?"

The rainbow-maned Pegasus looked up from her position resting on Applejack's flank and nodded. The images of those rocky things that had been commanded by the reptilian beast that was Xonix would never leave her mind. Suppressing a shudder as she strained her eyes to look at the Unicorn Golems on the screens around the human, she thought about how similar the two types of foot soldiers were.

"Those rocky things? Yeah, I recall fighting them but pretty much everything in that battle was a blur. Well, except for the Zord battle."

Nodding at the information, Billy turned back to the data and at the various screens that he showed pieces of the archives that relayed how differently events had happened in the dimension of the Ultra Rangers. He had heard reports of Drakor and Spurex before but in his dimension, the Morphin Council at the time had cast both of them into the deepest and darkest black hole they could find. There had been no strange team of Rangers that had popped up and allowed Zordon to seal Drakor in the deepest part of the Morphin Grid and flung Spurex into the farthest reaches of the Universe. There seemed to be more dabbling in dimensional theory and travel in the Ultra Ranger's dimension than in his 'home' dimension. The references found scattered through the chunk of archived material was worth looking into when they weren't so…busy.

Shaking his head once more, he called up the information on the Trotters once more. His eyes flicked over the images he had found and, once again, he felt his skin crawl at the close-up images. What made it worse were the slight red dots that were scattered over the images…almost as if the capturer of the images was in the process of being injured or…he forcefully ended he thought. It was no good to be getting worked up over things that had happened thousands of years ago on the other side of a dimensional barrier. However, it didn't seem to make any sense to him…

"It just doesn't make any sense. I've looked through the information that he sent over and the Trotters…well, it doesn't make sense."

"Please, Billy. The more information we know about them the better."

Looking behind him at the regal form of Princess Celestia, he bit back the sarcastic response that threatened to spill from his mouth. Although he had only been looking for a few hours, it seemed like weeks had passed…and he was still trying to understand exactly what the four beings were. Calming himself down, he took in a deep breath and turned around to face the group. He opened his mouth to speak when Princess Celestia suddenly excused herself from the group. He looked at the others; puzzled as to her strange actions but their questions were answered seconds later as the sun plummeted to the horizon. He felt a bubble of near-hysterical laughter well up from within him and he fought hard to keep it down. Forcing a small smile on his face as Princess Celestia sheepishly trotted back in, he began speaking.

"All right…in that dimension, the Trotters are a group of highly dangerous bipedal horse-like mercenaries. They hunted down and destroyed their targets with extreme prejudice. The details are sketchy but there may have been some collaboration with Xonix, though to what extent wasn't known then. There's even profiles of them…give me a second here."

Turning around, he tried to stop the shaking in his hands as he pulled up the profiles. The moon rose outside, giving a strangely eerie atmosphere to their surroundings. Lightly flicking his eyes up above him, he saw the screen above the console flicker once, the text replaced by the image of the being that had called itself Dark Hoof. The reverse-centaur held its blade in both hands and there was strange blue and green liquid running down the blade. He heard the ponies gasp in shock as the image changed to a more neutral pose of the monster. The gigantic blade was on its back and its tail was hanging limp behind it. The only aspect of the image that wasn't so PC was the dried blood that caked its hands and lower arms, extending up to the elbow.

"This is Dark Hoof, the leader of the Trotters. According to the data, the blade on his back has been refined with crushed Zycordian diamond and can easily cleave through Ranger Armour. Even unarmed, his strength was practically unmatched…even by Goldar."

Flicking to the next image, he shuddered at the sheer violence inherent in the still picture. The image had been taken from an angle in front of the creature that made it seem like the creature was ripping into the viewer. He supposed that was correct as there was the faint image of the humanoid that had snapped the image reflected in the dead orbs. Swallowing down the bile that creeped up the back of his throat, he opened his mouth to speak.

"This is Slashing Vengeance, the only Trotter that can be considered fully psychotically insane. He has the same body shape as an Earth Pony and is extremely strong as well. His movements are erratic and seem to have no real pattern to them. Prefers to attack with his fists, feet and whatever makeshift weapons are around him."

His fingers couldn't switch the image fast enough. As it was, he would have nightmares about the raw insanity in the eyes of the creature for weeks to come but pushed those thoughts aside. As the next image flashed up, he wondered why he hadn't the foresight to pick a less graphic image of the next Trotter. It was the green and grey Pegasus creature that Twilight and Fluttershy had battled in the first attack and he could hear them gasp in recognition. It held the wing-like blades to the sides in a twisted mockery of flight as it hung in mid-air.

"The air support of the Trotters, Air Sickness, has the most ironic position as he cannot fly. According to the information here, the wings were…"

He stopped himself and inhaled deeply. He couldn't say what the archives said, but they deserved to know the depths of depravity the Trotters could stoop to. Swallowing hard, he tried to move his hand and scroll away from the offending sentence that he had skimmed over so many times before…but he couldn't. Closing his eyes, he took a shuddering breath and told himself to calm down.

"Billy? What is it?"

Shaking his head at Luna's words, he opened his eyes and continued reading, his voice cracking.

"Sorry. Uh…the wings were pulled off and used to create the weapons it uses. The wings that are on its back are transplants made from synthetic bone and ceramic material. It is also rotting due to an accident with a high-energy weapons system."

Well, that was about as much description as he dared to tell them. The truth was so much worse as it involved a beam that had been fired from the Main Palace on a planet called Kinbem. The beam had been a way to extend one's lifespan, much like the water of the Eternal Falls on Aquitar, but it had strange and unpredictable properties that made the creator take it from the Regeneration Tanks and place it in the Main Palace for Homeland Security. The archives had described the horrible way Air Sickness' flesh had contorted, twisted and rotted off and the measures the inhabitants had taken to save the life of their attacker. The aforementioned wings being pulled off and the installation of their somewhat shoddy replacements had only been the beginning. He vowed not to order anything avian from the food replicators for a month as he wiped the image off the monitors.

"That's one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in my life. What about the other one?"

Nodding absently at Pinkie's words, he tapped the consoles and muttered under his breath.

"The other one…the other decomposing creature? I saw it a minute ago…"

"Good heavens! What…what is it?"

The image on the screen showed the hulking unicorn beast that had been fought by the Red and Blue Rangers. While it wasn't as degraded as Air Sickness had been, it was still decidedly green around the gills; an after-effect of being splashed with the same beam that had so drastically changed Air Sickness.

"Meet Psychocorn, the tactical expert of the Trotters. Despite the name, the records say that he is mentally sound and very stable with only the 'barest hints of insanity'. Doesn't use anything to fight and ploughs through the enemy with his hands. All four are stated to be extremely resistant to all forms of damage whatsoever and do not leave until they have completed their assigned tasks. The only problem here is…"

"What's the problem? The problem is to find ways to destroy them, right?"

He shook his head as the images vanished from the screens, walls of rolling text replacing them.

"No, Rainbow. The problem here is that they are an extremely destructive force under the command of a relatively unknown foe. We'll have to be on extremely high alert."

They had to hope they would hold out.

TBC…


	19. Dark Clouds Looming

Chapter 19: Dark Clouds Looming

He could feel it.

There was something close by that felt familiar, but he didn't know what it was. If he had the equipment to gauge the signal, there was no doubt in his mind that it would fit the spike he had seen on the monitor when monitoring the battle on Eltare. What was it Discord had called those crystals? The Ultra Crystals…yes that was it. However, there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that Discord was thoroughly cemented on the path of Evil, making the thought that Discord was connected to those Rangers in some way laughable. Shaking his head as his mane blew over his eyes, Night Shade walked down the metallic halls as boredom threatened to set in. Staring out the 'windows' got old quickly and there wasn't enough power available to delve too deeply into the hidden data stores, so walking down the twisting maze of halls, corridors and passages became his main past-time.

He paused in mid step and sniffed the air carefully. There was a strange taste in the air, something that promised absolute Power but was strangely muted. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes and allowed his horn to point him in the direction of the strange disturbance. If he could unlock the full extent of his powers, then there was a good chance he could transform back into his usual form. Of course, he would have to go back into Unicorn mode whenever he ventured out of the base, but that was a pittance compared to the destruction that he would be able to wreak. Opening his eyes, he saw that his head was pointed back in the direction of Discord's quarters…and knew that his neck wasn't supposed to bend that way without gut-wrenching pain.

Managing to right the alignment of his head without causing too much, he trotted over to the door and paused. He had no idea what Discord would be doing with…whatever he had in there and did not need to see anything that would want to poke his eyes out with his claws. On the other hand, he had already seen what Discord was able to do with a few Unicorn POWs in the takeover of Canterlot…so nothing much could shock him anymore. Opening the door, he walked in to see Discord holding a strange shadowy crystal above his head. Tendrils of pure Evil magic were flowing from the Crystal into the body of Discord and judging from the stifled screams he could hear…it was not a very painless process.

"Discord, what is…?"

Discord snapped off the energy transference and turned around, cursing his foolishness. Lowering the Crystal, he kept the summoning phrase for the Dark Hellfire Armour at the back of his mind in case Night Shade decided to force the Crystal away from him. That much power in the hands of him was bad enough for the Rangers, but in the clutches of Night Shade, or rather Xonix, Equestria would be a smoking wreck within the day's end. The only hope he had was the hope that the Dark Crystal had bonded with him enough that his Master wouldn't be able to access the deepest reserves of Power.

After all, Zedd hadn't been able to access them either and had held onto the Dark Crystal for much longer than him. He opened his mouth a few times, before replying and injecting as much false shame into his voice as he could.

"My Lord…I was going to show you but I wanted you to be at full strength first."

Night Shade nodded and stepped forwards. The amount of Power coming from the Crystal was exhilarating and he couldn't wait to take it from Discord's grasp. The humanoid former Alicorn didn't know what he was doing with it…even though it had seemingly imparted a strange set of armour onto his body. He blinked as an image came unbidden to the forefront of his memory. He was on a planet of some kind and there was a body of a humanoid in front of him, a female from the looks of it. She was saying something, but he couldn't pick up on her words due to the familiar Crystal in front of him.

Unlike the jet-black Crystal that was in the hands of Discord, the Crystal in his mind pulsed with weak flashes of light brown or Bronze. He could sense the amount of purity that poured from the Crystal and had a strange feeling that he had used it for…something or other, but as soon as he focused on the image, it vanished. Shaking his head, his thoughts returned to the present moment and he looked at the object.

"An evil Ultra Crystal…fascinating."

Sweat formed on Discord's forehead and he forced himself to not wipe it away. He knew it was for the best that his Master regain his full Powers, but if that meant not being able to use the Armour the Dark Crystal provided...well, that wouldn't be a good thing for him with those Ultra Rangers still lurking out there. He snorted internally and cursed himself for being so dependant on the Dark Crystal after only using its powers for one short battle. No, that wasn't right. He had been using its powers since he picked it up in the confusion of the Final Battle and now with the internal obstruction gone, he could begin to feel the Dark Crystal connecting with him. However, there was one thing he was good at and that was deception. He had practically embraced it as a way of life, but had no permanent trophies to show for it. Bowing low, he offered the Crystal up to his Master and spoke in a low and reverential tone.

"My Lord, if it is what you require, I will grant you use of the Dark Crystal."

Night Shade nodded once, surprised at the generosity of his subordinate and placed his front left hoof on the cool crystal. Immediately, he could see his hoof change into a scaled and reptilian hand, complete with claws. He could feel the Power seep through his body; changing his pony shape into a form he was much more familiar and comfortable in. His face lengthened and morphed as a pair of long jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth replaced his pony muzzle. He could feel the almost-disturbing sensation as his mane and tail pulled into his body to be stored for…something or other. He wasn't exactly sure why he needed hair stuffed in his organs, but he wasn't going to complain about that. His fingers gripped the Dark Crystal as his stance shifted from quadruped to biped in a matter of minutes and he choked back a strange scream as his tail literally popped out of his ass.

However, despite the strange feelings of his body transforming back into his normal form, the feeling that filled him the fullest was the feeling of his powers returning to him. Every spell that he had somehow lost had returned in full force and he could even feel additional spells that weren't in his arsenal before…like the strange growth spell that was pressing into his mind. His wings were also stripped of all flesh, skin and even connecting tissues…which made his brain scream in protest when he tried to work out how they were still intact. Finally, after around ten minutes of transforming and associated pain, it was complete. Xonix, Night Shade no more, stood up and breathed in the cool air weakly pumping in from around him. Pulling his lips back into a twisted mockery of a smile, his fingers tightened around the Dark Crystal and he prepared to fully merge with it. His voice echoed around them and Discord trembled beneath him.

"At last! My power has been reawakened! I feel stronger than before and…"

Something was wrong. For some reason, he couldn't access or merge with the Crystal. It was almost as if…but that was impossible. To think that it could have happened and within his grasp! Pushing down the frustration, he looked at Discord once more for confirmation.

"Uh…Discord? It is not allowing me to access its deeper powers. Has it bonded with you?"

"I am unsure, my Lord. I have only started to access the deeper powers myself and I have only had it for less than two years."

"Interesting. Very well, I will continue to allow you to use it in the hope that you will become a stronger warrior. When do you think the next attack should be?"

Discord reclaimed the Dark Crystal from the outstretched hand of Night Shade and thanked whatever dark Gods were looking down on him. His Master couldn't access the Dark Crystal's powers and regain his memory. He had absolutely no idea what had been unlocked and was slightly scared by the draconic appearance of his true form, but wisely chose to say nothing about those things. Thinking about their next move, he opened his mouth an spoke words that he knew would placate Night Shade…or send him into a strange frenzy.

"Next attack? I would give the Rangers some small amount of time to attempt to strengthen their forces before we crush them utterly."

Xonix nodded once and thought it over. On the surface, it had all the hallmarks of a good plan. The Rangers would strengthen their arsenal slightly and they would swoop down and crush them within instants. Doing so would send the inhabitants of Equestria into a deep depression and allow them to take over easily. Then again, that would only be on the continents of Equestria and maybe Deinos Terra Firma. Draconis would be a challenge to take over, especially trying to wrest control of the lands from the Dragons. On the other hand, Discord _had_ mentioned that that Tricksy had been a subordinate of sorts of his. That made him wonder exactly how many other creatures Discord had under his thrall and in what state they would be in. Of course, they would be willing to help his cause and had to have a specific skill set.

However, Discord had mentioned that Tricksy had gone insane. A mentally unstable follower was never a good thing as a careful eye was always needed on the individual. On the other hand, given the right circumstances, a mentally unstable follower was the perfect thing that was needed for the opponent to be caught off guard. In some cases, the insanity of the person even highlighted things that were unknown to the individual themselves. Slashing Vengeance had expressed dulled surprise at the strength unlocked by his insanity, but hadn't thought much of it afterward. There would be a slight drawback as such a gathering would possibly take many weeks to accomplish and that would mean the Rangers would have time to rest and build up their defences. Oh well, it would be worth it in the end.

"New plan. I want you to round up as many of your old 'comrades' as you can to serve me. We'll give the Rangers a break until I can work out how I was able to get a growth spell in my arsenal or I get bored."

Discord nodded slowly, pulling the Dark Ultra Crystal close to his chest and feeling the chilly warmth that pulsed from it.

"It will be done."

TBC…


	20. Darkening Sky

Chapter 20: Darkening Sky

She was bored.

The past one and a half years hadn't been fun for Gilda, but she was surviving. Even though practically everything below the neck was frozen solid, she could still look around, talk and eat. It was a practical impossibility that she could do those things as her lungs and digestive system should still have been frozen…yet; there was something different about the ice that encased her. Sighing in frustration, she looked around at the stark white ice that surrounded her. The only thing good about her current situation was that it was only her head that suffered the chilling effects of the freezing winds.

She yearned to spread her wings and take to the skies once more, in glorious combat with the Blue Ranger. To hear her scream in agony as she slowly tugged her intestines out with her lover watching. Or maybe she would find a way to paralyse Dash and force her to watch while the Red Ranger was messily devoured. She could almost taste the metallic tinge of blood running down her throat, staining her razor-sharp beak and claws and she quickly made a face as another sensation was felt in the 'frozen' areas. Huh, so that area had decided to thaw and maybe the heat could thaw the other parts as well…but then there was the issue of her arms still being useless and the male Griffon in front of her trying to force food into her mouth.

"Open up dear sister, you don't want to waste away now."

The Griffon's feathers were the opposite of what Gilda's were. Instead of a white head and brown body, he had a brown head with a white body. Clutched in his front right claw was a makeshift ice 'spoon' heaped with quickly cooling meat from the creatures that lived on this Celestia-forsaken ice floe. Although the meat didn't taste all that bad, she hated having others do things for her. Unfortunately, with the majority of her body still encased in ice…she had to swallow her pride each and every time her brother fed her.

"Gordon, I swear if I wasn't still in this ice ball…"

He smiled and laughed sadly, lowering the spoon to look at the chains holding his sister in place. He thought the chains were a bit overkill and seriously wondered what they were attached to, but he knew everything was all in Celestia's plan for his sister. Time wouldn't change the fact that, Evil or not, she was still blood and by the laws of the Griffons, blood was required to look after blood…or something like that. Of course, this clause didn't really cover the damage that had been done to their father or the emotional trauma their mother was continually going through. At least the rest of the flock was there to help them. Turning his attention back to his sister, he smirked.

"Just be glad you get normal food and not the stuff Father dishes out. He hasn't been all there since he found out."

It was true that, by normal definitions anyway, their father had gone mildly insane when he had found out Gilda had turned to evil, but it was something of a foregone conclusion anyway. The constant rebuttals of authority, while normal for a Griffon, grated on his mental state slowly and eroded it until he snapped. Now, he was dressing up in some fancy clothes and claiming he was a gourmet dessert chef called Gustave Le Grande. There had even been a report that he had participated in a dessert competition that was judged by Princess Celestia, though the details were somewhat sketchy and involved ponies jumping to conclusions and a strange case of a chocolate mousse moose. He also wished he would trim his nose hair. The fact that it was styled in a strange moustache was one thing, but the fact that it was growing icicles was a, fairly disgusting, other.

"You hate me for what I've done, don't you?"

He turned at his sister's words and dropped the spoon into the makeshift ice bucket at his feet and shook his head. His sister had always been the type to bottle every feeling, slight and emotion inside her and it usually erupted out with devastating results. The debate of nature vs. nurture was a hotly contested topic at the meetings of the Elders and, with alarming regularity, the cases of him and Gilda were inevitably brought up. The Elders just didn't understand the environment shaped the psyche of those in and around it and Equestria was subtly moving towards complete and total unity, something that the Power Rangers were spearheading. They were already uniting the inhabitants of the world against Zedd and the new evil that had popped up and, while it was probably just a rumour some foals had made up, he had heard they even had ties to the Dragon Clans of Draconis. Picking up the spoon to prod at the slowly freezing meat, he answered his sister the only way he knew how – openly and honestly.

"Gilda…I was all for you going to Ponyville to see your friend but when you came back, you became more vicious and spiteful than before. Part of the blame will always lie on my shoulders as I was the one that voted against keeping you in the family group and due to me being the only other 'hatchling', my word was final. I don't know what happened after that to drive you into Zedd's clutches."

Gilda blinked once, but said nothing. She never knew she had been that obvious when she returned and this new information was both a blessing and a curse. Whatever her Master had done to her wasn't going to go away, ever, but she could always pretend in front of her brother. As she waited for him to continue, a strangely familiar scent wafted past her nostrils for the briefest of moments. Even though the coldness had stripped most of the feeling from her exposed skin, it hadn't taken away her extremely sensitive sense of smell. As her eyes widened a fraction, she strained her ears to hear a seemingly far-off noise that sounded suspiciously like battle. Taking her silence as a sign to continues, Gordon continued.

"When we heard the news that you had been seen, we were glad that you hadn't been killed or died but then it became clear to us that you were on the other side of the spectrum. Dad…well, you saw him when your head thawed. Don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant chef now but…well, you saw him."

Yes, she had seen the half-insane wreck her father had become. Although he had dazzled her with sumptuous desserts, she could see the insanity deep in his eyes, the parts of his mind that would be forever broken and that her father always struggled to not let out…even for the briefest of moments. He had come to see her a few times since her head had been thawed and had kept up the Gustave persona for almost all of his visits, bar one. That time, his true personality had shone through and he had expressed his relief that she was still alive. He had asked for forgiveness and had apologised that his mind wasn't as strong as hers, but he was coping with everything in his unique way. Gilda truly made peace with her father then and, for the briefest of moments, felt totally at peace with her family. She opened her mouth and made forced her tone to sound as sarcastic as possible.

"And then the next thing you knew, you were given your sister back in a giant ice cube. Must've been strange."

"Yeah. That was surreal…even for us. Moving to the Arctic caps was strange as well but, hey, only two years and your head is the only thing thawed."

Gordon stopped poking at the now-frozen lumps of meat and turned back to his sister. He could hear slowly approaching hoof-steps and had a feeling that this would be pretty much the last time he saw her. He didn't know how she would be freed from the ice, but hoped that she was strong enough to move on from her forced imprisonment and time spent with her family. And if she ever forgave him for his 'treason'…well, that would be her decision and there was nothing he could do to force it otherwise. Dropping the frozen spoon on top of the frozen meat, he stepped closer to his sister and gently smoothed the feathers on the side of her head. His voice was soft and there was an underlying tinge of regret and sorrow.

"Sis, don't get me wrong. I'd love nothing more to have you out of that ice cube. Even if you went back to Zedd or whoever it is now, you'd be free and we would still kinda see you every once in a while."

A rumbling voice from behind him answered.

"That wish can be arranged."

Gilda looked up to see the form of a very familiar figure standing in the doorway. His feathered wings were splayed out behind him and in his right hand was a bloodied blade. The only new additions she could pick out was the unique armour draped around his shoulders and chest…and the sphere in the centre of his chest that seemed to make the shadows in the room lengthen. Her brother stepped away from her and froze on the spot as the humanoid pony stepped closer. Streaks of fresh blood were splashed onto his armour and there was a satisfied look on his face, almost as if he was revelling in the chaos he caused.

"Discord? I'm glad that you've come for me but why not earlier?"

His voice seemed to echo off the frozen walls.

"The Master wishes to expand his forces once more."

"The Master has been found?"

Instead of replying, Discord reached down to a belt that Gilda hadn't notice and pulled off another strange weapon. It seemed mildly familiar to her, but she had no idea where she had seen it before. In a swift motion that seemed to be powered by the shadows, he activated the weapon and sent a flurry of strikes into the ice encasing her. There was a groaning crack and the ice fell away from her body in five small pieces. She fell to the icy ground with a low moan and struggled to steady herself on her feet. Her strength was slowly returning and she took a small step towards Discord, before looking at her brother. He watched her with sorrow in his eyes and she smiled softly, speaking with a low voice.

"Gordon, please don't come after me. Stay here where it's cold and where there is a lessened chance of attack. I…"

She faltered mid-sentence as her vision swam and her feet slipped from under her. As the ground rushed up to meet her once more, she was stopped by two pairs of arms. One pair belonged to her brother, which was understandable, but the other was attached to Discord. The warrior seemed surprised at his actions and hastily stepped back in the same manner as Gordon had done moments ago. Gilda felt her cheeks flush with heat for the briefest of moments before she heard her brother chuckle sorrowfully under his breath.

"Don't strain yourself so much. Why do you think I made you eat even though you couldn't move? Love you, sis, and that will never change. No matter what side you're on."

Giving her a light peck on the cheek, Gordon released his sister and looked at the being that his sister had called Discord. He didn't seem at all like the records had depicted him, but he shuddered to think of the carnage he had wrought going through his family that consisted of the fiercest fighters. Well, as always, it would rest on his shoulders to patch everyone up and ensure they were healed up well enough to make the migration back to Canterlot Crags. Depending on how injured the unit was, he would place their migration anywhere from between six to twelve months. He only hoped that Gilda would be safe until then. As if reading his thoughts, Discord nodded gravely and opened his mouth to speak.

"She will be fine. I will personally guarantee that."

Accepting it with a nod, he turned to look at his sister one last time. For the first time, he could see the changes that had been done to her body and marvelled the fact that she was now much stronger in both body and mind that he would ever hope to be. Giving her a brief nod, he looked up at the hole above them and began a mental checklist of everything that he needed to do. For a moment, two winged figures crossed his field of vision and he blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill out before sighing and walking back into the hall Discord had come from.

High above the ice-covered plains, Gilda soared through the air following Discord as best as she could. The strength was quickly returning to her wings and the remains of her last meal sat heavily in her stomach. Glancing over her shoulder at the receding mountain that had been her 'home' for the past two years, she swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought of her brother and the sins he had to bear. She shook her head to clear her mind of heavy thoughts and focused ahead. Her Master was waiting and there was no room for sentimentality. However, before her mind blocked off any and all thoughts of her family, a stray thought flashed to the forefront of her mind and made her vision blurry with unshed tears.

_Love you too, brother._

TBC…


	21. Traitorous Thoughts

Chapter 21: Traitorous Thoughts

At least one of those Rangers was injured.

Tricksy galloped through the tall grass as the echoes of the explosion rang in her ears. Even though the monster had been destroyed hours ago, it seemed her atrophied remnants of her conscience had stirred to life with the destruction of the majority of the monster army she had spent so long building up. Sighing in frustration, she rolled her eyes at the sentimental thoughts brought up and clutched her wand tighter. The crescent moon on the end seemed to sparkle in the dim light and she growled softly as a ripple of pain wracked her mind. In hindsight, it had been a rather idiotic idea to pull all of the remaining monsters into the void inside her wand, but it was the only thing that had come to mind. She didn't realise that said mind would be the only thing that would be able to keep all three hundred remaining monsters at bay…but that was what life was all about sometimes. At least the 'final' monster had managed to grievously wound the Purple Ranger.

Stumbling over a hidden branch, she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up at the darkening sky. There was something in the air that called to her and made her yearn for the 'old' days when she was just a 'simple' travelling magician. Or the days much further back than that when she was living in the homeless shelter and had Flim and Flam to keep her insides warm. Well, those two and the rest of the homeless stallions had kept her warm. She allowed a smile to creep over her snout as she recalled the countless mornings of waking up in the middle of a sticky pool on the floor and how good it felt to have various liquids leaking out of her. All that had changed when she had received what she was now calling 'divine' intervention that saved her from the festering mess her reputation would have become. She had been briefly possessed by the True Master and been used by him to create a new body for herself. In those few seconds of pain and madness, their minds had touched and she was finally able to see that there was a bigger picture out there.

Equestria needed to change for the better. The True Master could change everything and she gladly allowed him to do anything he wanted to her to achieve that goal. Whether it was slapping her around, using her body in twisted and vile experiments or ploughing her mind for information about the world, she would allow Lord Zedd anything he needed for his goal of world conquest. Unfortunately, those thrice-cursed Rangers would always get in their way and had even called in for Interdimensional help. They had that help in the last battle as well and that had ended with Zedd being destroyed or fatally injured. Her clones that she had summoned had actually been prototypes of the monsters she had attacked with, but they had been extremely unstable. They had served their purposes though and she had escaped with her life. Initiating a blind teleport, she had materialised in a cave of sorts that was home to a family group of Ursa Majors. A quick destruction spell had ensured the creatures wouldn't be bothering anyone ever again, but the energy drain had knocked her out for a very long time.

A noise overhead caused her to crane her head up at the sky. High above her were two figures and, for a brief moment, she thought she had been caught by the Changelings. Her mind was ready to release the creatures she had stored in her wand at a moment's notice and she made sure her claws and teeth were as clean as possible, in case she had to fight her way out. As the two figures landed the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon appeared seconds later, bathing the area around her in an eerie luminescence. Steeling herself for a fight, she slowly dropped her arms as her eyes grew accustomed to the moonlight. They were both bipeds, but one looked like a humanoid pony and the other was a humanoid Griffon…and there were only two beings in existence that had bodies like that. Taking a chance, she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the rich voice that came from the biped pony.

"Tricksy. I have searched for you a very long time."

She nodded once and opened her mouth; forcing her voice into the scratchy mess it had been all those years ago. The thought had crossed her mind that he had seen her attacking the Rangers and knew she could speak 'normally', but didn't want to risk anything.

"Discord? Has Master summoned me?"

Discord sneered at Tricksy and rolled his eyes.

"Stop talking like a brain-dead moron. I know you've recovered a capacity to speak normally, so use it."

Tricksy growled under her breath, before nodding slightly. Either as a side-effect of all the mental traumas inflicted by her Master or all those strange lasers that the Rangers had blasted at her, she had found out that she no longer had to think as hard as before when speaking. This allowed her to speak normally, though her luxurious voice was barely a shadow of its former self. Looking at the humanoid Griffon, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a suspicious wetness in her eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would have said they were unshed tears…but her Master had apparently purged any excess emotion from her mind. However, she didn't know where the Griffon had been in the past two years and if she were to be in close contact with her family, well, some of the old feelings and emotions would surely come to the fore.

"Gilda…you look well for someone who was encased in ice."

Gilda nodded back and stretched her arms up above her head. The time spent flying had been great for her muscles, but she was now feeling some of the effects of not having moved in a very long time. Not to mention, her eyes kept watering due to the wind blowing into her eyes. Her helmet – visor attached – had been left somewhere in the cave she had left and she didn't want to go back there ever again. She had resigned herself to creating another one wherever the 'new base' Discord kept mentioning was, but she wasn't going to get her hopes up that it would be the same level of mystic tech as the last one. Looking at the slight strain on Tricksy's face, she silently hoped that whatever army that she was holding back didn't accidentally slip out to wreak havoc.

On the other hand, if it did…well, she had a lot of frustrations to work out.

"Yeah, well, long story there. You look better and you speak normally now. I can actually understand you."

Discord rolled his eyes yet again and thought about his next words. They would need to be told who the new Master was…but he doubted they would be impressed with his credentials. After all, they had been on the receiving end of the attacks of the Ultra Rangers and wouldn't take it lightly that their new Master was their arch-enemy. Amnesia or not, there would be things that couldn't be said around Night Shade. Any mention of Lord Zedd was one and the things the Trotters had said they would do to him if he ever slipped up…well, that was too horrible to even think about for too long. Try as he might to avoid it, he knew they had to be briefed about him, what to say and of the surprising discovery he had made in his Dark Crystal. Of course, the latter would have to be told in the most secure of confidences and behind as many barrier spells as the Dark Crystal could possibly conjure up. If only there was a way to capture one of the Ultra Rangers and pump his or her mind for information…

"My Master has instructed me to find you. However, the Master has changed."

Gilda nodded as Tricksy laughed and opened her mouth to speak, the reptilian pony hot on her 'heels'.

"New guy, right? I heard some of my family talking about the attacks. I'll serve anyone who lets me fight."

"Who is the new guy anyway? Someone from the past or something from the Master's dimension?"

Discord rubbed the back of his neck nervously before speaking. He would be facing a great amount of future ridicule for being a servant of his former servant but, more disconcertingly, he was beginning to see that being a servant of a greater power was his role in Equestria all along. Possibly, it had always been his lot in life to serve a higher power, although he wasn't going to spruik his services to the two Princesses anytime soon.

"Night Shade. Formerly my right-hoof pony but he's…"

He looked around and strained his senses. They were too exposed and his 'new recruits', as they were, needed to rest from their 'ordeals'. An attack had been planned for the next week and seven little days would be all the rest they could afford to have. Tricksy would also need to be trained in battle as she had reached a level of stability to actively engage the Rangers. Plus, he sensed that she had a few scores to settle with one Ranger in particular…even though her last monster had pretty much mauled the Ranger in question.

"Well, it's not safe to talk about that here. We'll discuss it when we get back and you're debriefed."

Two nods gave him the answer he was looking for and he internally sighed in relief. As Gilda bent over to allow Tricksy to climb onto her back, he spread his wings and leapt into the sky. The moon hung over the lands, shining its brilliance down on the earth and he looked down to his chest and the blood that was still splashed on it. Attacking the 'famed' Gustave Le Grande had been interesting and he certainly hadn't expected spun sugar to be used in that way…but it had been a rewarding experience as well. Despite his mini skirmish with the Orange Ranger, his skills were exceedingly rusty and with Goldar nothing more than flecks of ash on the ground, he would need a good sparring partner. Well, a sparring partner that wasn't Dark Hoof or even Psychocorn.

As Gilda wobbly took to the skies, he chewed on his lower lip. Seven days was not a lot of time for a humanoid Griffon to regain full use of her muscles or even to teach a reptilian creature the basics of combat. At most, it would be only enough time for him to dive one micron deeper into the vast world of Power introduced by the Dark Crystal and strengthen his hold on it. It would also allow him to discover the vague scratching sensation at the back of his mind and ponder on why it felt something was returning to him. On the other hoof, they would need to train up to fight the Rangers.

He would let them rest…for now.

TBC…


	22. Float on Like Stars

AN: Chapter title taken from the debut single of a mate of mine's band Dream Delay (search dreamdelay on Facebook).

Chapter 22: Float on Like Stars

He could remember.

Night Shade trotted down the hall, lost deep in thought. He didn't know what had happened to him, what the energy of the Dark Crystal had done to his mind…but he could remember specific events in the past. Yes, he recalled going to Earth and attacking the feeble Power Rangers with a group of Golems to lure them out and then, when the time was right, he had sent down the Ogre to crush whatever futile attack the Power Rangers made. Even when they had reappeared with newer and stronger Zords, they had been not match for the Ogre, his prized champion. Well, not until _he_ had shown up.

Thanks to recent events, Night Shade knew that the figure that had destroyed the Ogre so easily was the Orange Ultra Ranger but his memories didn't seem to show a team of any kind. Instead, they seemed to cut off mysteriously after he had found out Master Vile was about to enter the Solar System. However, this gave him a better understanding of what monsters he would be sending down to attack these 'Equestrian Rangers'. Of course, anything he sent down would lack the power of the original creatures…but a decrease of power would be nothing if the monsters actually defeated the Rangers. He was tempted, very tempted in deed, to use up the majority of his imparted power to actually resurrect the Ogre from whatever layer of Hell it had fallen into, but he knew from experience that would be a very bad idea. Indeed, he was still kicking himself for not witnessing the supposed 'final moments' of the Sha'Kahr Overlord Drakor as the team of Rangers trapped him in the Grid.

Then there were the two beings that Discord had brought back from their 'hiding places'. Tricksy, the demented crocodile/unicorn hybrid, he was somewhat familiar with and had praised her for the attack on the Changeling Lands. Of course, he had made it very clear to her that she would be killed if she ever tried anything like that again. Impressively, the hybrid creature hadn't flinched at his words and had stated in a calm voice that she would do what she wanted. He could hear the insanity dripping off the words, which left him with a rather uneasy feeling. Dark Hoof was keeping an eye on her and training her meagre hand-to-hand skills. That was, of course, when he wasn't making sure Psychocorn wasn't being ripped to shreds by the weapons he had designed for Gilda. The strangely humanoid Griffon was different from the other non-anthromorphic Griffons he had seen as the lion and eagle parts were switched. Her hands were paws that hid sharp claws that could rend through steel and the talons on her feet could punch holes through up to seven layers of said steel.

Walking to a clear hall that was close to his 'Throne Room', he stepped in the centre and inhaled deeply. This was going to take up some amount of time and effort…and he needed to be prepared for anything. Shifting from his pony form into his normal shape, Xonix closed his eyes and summoned the magic from deep within his body. He growled under his breath as he could sense areas where there were missing memories but pushed his frustration aside for another time. The air crackled with power as he dove into his memories, trying to recall exactly what the Ogre looked like. To his mind and memories, the failed attack had only been a matter of months ago…but something told him that it had actually been a lot longer than that. Yes, he could picture the creature now – a 'blood' brother of the destroyed Apollonia.

Although he couldn't see it, the space directly in front of him began crackling with magic and unleashed a small shockwave that travelled through the base, causing all inhabitants to pause briefly. The magic passed through his memories of finding the beast on a deserted planet, the incident with the Fusion Drive that had melded it with two unlucky Golems and the carnage that had ensued when it had 'accidentally' fallen into the Tuber System. The spell couldn't recreate the creature from nothing and he smiled as he heard the shredded steel around him slowly groan as it was lifted into the air. Rocks were pulled from the ground under whatever flooring was under his feet and smashed together to form two powerful and sturdy legs. The steel twisted, bent and tore apart…only to merge with itself to form four strong arms – one pair with fists on the end and the other pair with a set of scissor-like blades. Circuitry from various consoled ripped away from gaping holes to form a solid and, strangely robotic, chest. He suppressed a small wince as one of the flying shards of metal scraped along his snout, drawing a thin stream of blood. He internally shook his head as he knew that his blood would give the revived monster a stronger resistance to magical attacks. In fact, the only way the monster could be destroyed in its revived form was if it was attacked with a 'deathblow' that was stronger that the original attack.

Opening his eyes and stepping back, he looked at the creature as a smile spread over his lips. Its two heads were arachnid in nature and the fangs that covered the toothy mouth moved independently of each other. Its sixteen eyes roamed around the room, as if actively seeking its prey and the scissors on its arms opened and closed with harsh metallic scraping. It looked at Xonix and began chuckling deep within its throat. Xonix stayed on guard, just in case it decided to attack him. However, what he didn't expect was for the monster to address him personally.

"Master Xonix, thank you for retrieving my spirit from the Shadow World. I am itching to face the Ranger that killed me once more. Is he in the area?"

Xonix shook his head slowly as he sensed the Trotters, Discord, Gilda and Tricksy nearing the room. He was amazed that it had taken them so long to come up from their individual areas; however some of them were still not used to the layout of the base. In any case, the three or so week 'break' the Rangers would have enjoyed was about to come to a swift and brutal end. He had expected the Ogre to be recreated as a mindless drone, with the only thing on its mind being the destruction of all in front of it. To pluck a soul out of the Shadow World, even through a dimensional barrier, was practically unheard of and he had though such a feat was impossible. Allowing a small smile to float over his lips as his followers slowly entered, he spoke in a low voice.

"Unfortunately, he is not. However, there is a team of Rangers nearby that pose a threat to me and my operation."

"I understand, my Lord. Will you be sending me in a giant form again or am I to be attacking as is?"

It was rather surprising that the Ogre hadn't reacted to the individuals that were filing into the room but Xonix knew that the inhabitants of the destroyed Tuber System had been of all shapes and sizes as well. Plus, this time, he would be on the same side as the mostly-humanoid creatures. Not taking his eyes off the revived and transformed Ogre, he spoke to two individuals in particular. He knew they were itching to test their upgraded skills against the Rangers that had relaxed and rested…and one of them would have the element of surprise in her attack.

"Discord, you and Gilda will go to Ponyville. Destroy all in your path until the Rangers come out. Once they show themselves, I will send down the Ogre and the both of you are to retreat at once."

The two warriors nodded before turning on their heels and leaving the room. Xonix frowned as he turned his head to watch Discord leave. There was a sense of magic and power around his former boss that he hadn't felt in quite a long while and, if he didn't know any better, he could have stated that Discord's magic was returning to him. The Dark Ultra Crystal would surely impart some magic ability but once a Unicorn had his or her horn ripped out of their skull; their ability to use magic was pretty much permanently taken away. From what Discord had informed him, it was a very nasty and rogue Dragon that had taken his horn away…but there were a few doubts lingering in the back of his mind. One such doubt was the question of what a Dragon was doing so far away from Draconis and if it was on its migration or not. Another question was why Discord had allowed a Dragon to come up so close to him. Even if it had been under his thrall, the better option would have been to command it from afar.

"Ponyville, my Lord? I do not recall such a place existing on Earth."

Blinking at the voice, he brought himself out of his thoughts and smiled in what he thought was a reassuring way. If the Ogre had memories of its first destruction, it would undoubtedly think that it was still on that wretched planet of Earth. While some of the architecture of Equestria was similar, the inhabitants were entirely different. He suppressed an evil smile as he imagined what battling pony Rangers would be like, although he had a sneaking suspicion that Midnight Blue Ranger would fight the monster.

"Not to worry. You will still have things to destroy and Rangers to defeat."

The Ogre smiled and nodded. Although he was in the presence of his Master, the Rangers that he would be fighting against would not know that he had regained a semblance of himself. No, as far as the pathetic wannabes would know, he would be just another generic monster…but his strength would make them cry out in horrible suffering. As he trudged out of the doors, passing the quartet of strange horse-like beings, he wondered what had happened to the strange Orange Ranger after he had been destroyed. The Power Rangers weren't likely to have welcomed him with open arms but there would have been nowhere for him to go otherwise. Pushing those thoughts aside, he looked down at his new body and smiled once more. Whereas before he had been sharing a 'mental space' with the other consciousness in the other head, now he could control and see from both heads at the same time. The overall effect was somewhat disorienting but he was slowly learning to deal with it. He had to admit; the scissor blades were a good addition and were weapons he was waiting to use on the Rangers.

He would taste blood once more.

TBC…


	23. Upping the Stakes

Chapter 23: Upping the Stakes

Winter had sunk its claws in for sure.

Applejack walked down the streets of Ponyville, marvelling at how thick the snowdrifts were. Her marefriend had informed her that some snow was going to be dropped onto the town but it seemed that one of the assisting Pegasi had 'pumped up one of the clouds too much'. As Derpy had been seen apologising repeatedly, the incident had been smoothed over quickly, but there were still deep drifts in the streets. A few Pegasi had been rostered in for snow-clearing duties and Fluttershy was amongst them, the Yellow Ranger starting to, finally, become more assertive without being mean and cruel. Rainbow Dash was somewhere overhead, ensuring that the next few deliveries of snow to the borders of the Everfree were within regulation.

She rounded a corner to enter the Town Square and smiled as she heard the Yellow Ranger issuing orders to her group, her voice quivering slightly. Applejack knew the yellow Pegasus was trying hard to emulate the leadership qualities of the Orange Ranger and she shook her head as a strange flash of…something wormed into her memory. It was something from a few years back, from that spell that didn't take or so Billy had told them. However, there was something in those minute flashes of images and sound that felt a little too real for them to be dreams. Shaking her head once again to get rid of the strange images, she stepped onto a thick snowdrift…and sank down to her belly. She growled under her breath at the obstruction and channelled her Element powers into her legs, parting the ground to allow the snow covering her to sink into the ground. Shaking her legs a few times to allow the blood to flow through them once again, she turned on her hind legs to leave the 'dangerous' area…as a familiar voice sounded nearby.

"Ranger…all alone."

Applejack froze briefly as her mind flashed back to the last time she had heard those words. It had been right after she had come back from the Orange Ranger's dimension and she had been walking through the apple orchard. Blocking out the screams from the ponies around her, she slowly turned around to see the sneering form of Discord standing behind her. The bipedal pony was clad in a strange set of armour that looked extremely similar to the Hellfire Armour of the Ultra Rangers with his blade in one hand. There were stains on the blade that looked suspiciously like dried blood, but she didn't know for sure. Unconsciously summoning her Element Morpher, she stood up straighter and opened her mouth, ensuring her voice was as loud as it could be without her actually shouting.

"What…Discord, what're you doin' in these parts?"

The humanoid chuckled darkly and something in the sound made her take a few steps back. It was clear that Discord wasn't the same as when he had last been spotted in Canterlot and sounded slightly unbalanced. Sensing that his act was having the desired effect, Discord stepped closer to the Red Ranger and lifted his xiphos, silently wondering where the Griffon had gotten the fake blood from. He could see her waiting in the shadows of a nearby building, but the time wasn't right for her to appear.

"My master wanted me to cause some trouble and I can think of no better trouble than a Ranger all alone with no backup."

Applejack dug her hooves into the snow and settled herself into an offensive position. If there was no backup and no strange spell that would come flying out of her Morpher, she would fight to protect the panicky civilians around her. Twin gusts of air made the former ruler look up temporarily as two beams of blue and yellow smashed against his chest and threw him back into a snow-covered bush. The morphed forms of the Blue and Yellow Rangers dropped from the sky to land on either side of Applejack. The cowpony took advantage of the temporary defeat of Discord to morph, contacting the Command Tower with news of Discord's attack. She was sure the three of them could handle things on their own but if a monster came down or Discord pulled out one of his surprises…well, all bets would be off. Wordlessly, she summoned her Buckin' Cannons and felt her hooves sink a little deeper into the snow. The two Pegasus Rangers leapt off the snow once more to hover around eye-level and an arrogant tone came from under the helm of the Blue Ranger.

"Looks like you're the one without backup!"

Discord righted himself and shook the remaining snow out of his eyes and mane. With careful precision, he slowly sheathed his xiphos into its scabbard and chuckled darkly. There was a strange tingle emanating from the scar where his horn had once been and he tried to ignore the feeling in his hands. If he had to compare it with a power from his past, he would have said it was his time distortion magic flickering to life…yet, that aspect of magic had been ripped away from him the very moment the combined beam from the Elements of Harmony had struck. Anything that might have remained had literally been crushed into dust and was now – no, he wouldn't think about that just yet. As the metallic click of the cross-guard meeting the metal ring around the scabbard echoed through the air, he smiled as a high-pitched screech pulsed through his ears.

Grinding her teeth together as the strangely familiar sound echoed through her mind, Rainbow Dash struggled to keep her wings flapping as she cleared her ears. The sound of a body landing heavily onto the snow made her look up…and freeze. In front of her was a monster that, by all rights, shouldn't even have been capable of free movement. The old armour that had once adorned her body had either been upgraded or replaced completely. The shoulder guards were removed completely and her breast-plate had been considerably shortened. The chain mail that covered her lower arms and paws had been replaced by a set of strange mechanical appendages. For a brief and horrifying moment, she thought the arms had been sliced off at the elbow but as the 'gloves' seamlessly opened up to reveal the appendage beneath, the Blue Ranger allowed a relieved exhale from her lips. However, her brain soon caught up with her and her mouth opened to ask the question that was on everypony's mind.

"No…what are _you_ doing here?"

Gilda laughed, throwing her head back. Psychocorn hadn't yet scrounged up enough materials to create a helmet for her but was working on another solution. She supposed the strange creature was working his hardest and if it meant she would be destroying more and more of the homes of the ponies, she could wait a while longer. Shifting her body so her wings wouldn't hit anything, her laughter dropped away as she spoke in a malice-tinged voice.

"Surprised? My new Master broke me out and has greater use for me."

She lunged at the Rangers without warning, causing them to break ranks to avoid the attack. Ducking under a hasty buck from the Red Ranger, she spread her wings and spun in a quick circle. The metallic sheets covering them slid back seamlessly to reveal sharp blades that easily sliced through the frozen materials around her. The Rangers kept their distance and she staggered slightly as an earthy blast of red energy exploded against the side of her armour. Looking down at the smoking scar, her eyes narrowed and she activated the mechanisms in the weapons as her claws slid out of their 'sheaths'. Neon red energy, continually arcing and humming, covered her claws and she hissed in pain as it sliced into her fingers. She was used to the pain and it brought her some degree of comfort in her otherwise miserable existence. Roaring in anger, she propelled herself toward the meek Yellow Ranger who had stupidly wandered within her reach. As she came closer, Gilda's arms rose and she stabbed them down – hoping to hear the scream of pain as her claws cut through the colourful armour.

However, to her disgust, it seemed her aim had been slightly off due to the light reflecting off the almost unnaturally white snow. Not even the ice that she had been imprisoned in had been as painfully white as in Ponyville, but she knew that the ice in the Arctic Wastes had formed naturally and hadn't been infused with magic. Recovering her balance, she bit her tongue to avoid screaming as a blast of lightning caught her across her wings. The metallic sheaths did nothing to stem or block the pain and she forced herself to dive into the snow just to escape the searing pain. Flicking her wrists once to retract her claws, she smiled as she heard the click and the soft whir. Surfacing from the unusually deep snow bank, she pointed both of her arms at the annoying Blue Ranger and pressed the inside of her thumb on the hidden button.

From the openings at the end of the fingers sprayed energy that was the same colour as the energy sheath. The Ranger trio scattered at the new attack and returned fire, while Discord watched from the sidelines. It was almost as if he wasn't really needed and he wished he had brought something to munch on. Watching the enraged Griffon attempt to complete her revenge against the Rangers was entertaining and all, but if they didn't give the other signal to their Master…he suppressed a shudder at the very thought. Sensing the tension, Gilda rose to her feet and shook off the snow from her back.

"Yes, he had equipped me with newer and stronger weapons. I was held back previously but now I am free to dish out the destruction I was transformed for!"

The sneer on her face rapidly turned to a look of frustration as three energy balls flews at her head. Ducking out of the way, she returned fire with her finger-lasers and glanced behind her to see if Discord was going to help. Much to her disgust, she saw that the humanoid former Alicorn was looking at her and motioning for her to 'hurry it up'. As he hadn't done so much as sneeze in the general direction of the Rangers, she decided to ignore him. Feinting retreat, she waited for the Red Ranger to step closer to her before slashing out with her energy claws. The Red Ranger yelped, leapt away from the bloodthirsty creature and activated the lasso ropes in her shoulders. The hooks missed her by a wide margin but she rolled away from the site before their quick return could open up a wound in her back. Discord grunted in contempt and grabbed her shoulder roughly, yanking her to her feet unceremoniously. Stepping in front of her to stop her from doing anything else, he spoke in a low tone similar to the one he had used on the Red Ranger.

"This isn't over, Rangers. Our Master has prepared a surprise for you."

The air crackled with energy as a small portal irised open. The Red and Blue Rangers kept their distance from the whirling opening and the Yellow Ranger visibly shrank back as their Master's creature slowly descended from the wormhole. In the light of the morning sun, the creature actually looked more powerful than in the dim lighting of the base…which was rather odd, but possibly due to the light glinting off the scissor blades. As the clawed feet of the creature touched the soft snow, it raised its heads to the sky and bellowed out a challenge to the world, before glowering at the Rangers before it. The monster that had once been called the Ogre chuckled under its breath as he saw the Rangers quiver in front of him. Moving the fangs that covered his mouths away, he concentrated and spoke in two very different voices. It was rather disturbing, to be honest.

"These are the Rangers I am to face? You will fall just like your forbearers and you will not defeat me so easily. Scissogre will kill you!"

Applejack shuffled backward and brought her Buckin' Cannons to bear on the monster. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal monster-fare that would only require a strong attack to defeat. It would require a full team effort…something that just wasn't possible with only three of them on the battlefield. As the spider/scissors hybrid stepped forward, the Red Ranger only had one thought running through her mind.

Without help, they were bucked.

TBC…


	24. Snatched Victory

Chapter 24: Snatched Victory

This wasn't going as well as she hoped.

Leaping to one side to avoid the lasers being blasted from Gilda's gauntlets, Applejack retaliated with a blast from the Buckin' Cannons. The powerful blast gathered up buried rocks and pebbles from the ground and narrowly missed Billy as he wrestled with the monster. As the Scissogre, or whatever it called itself, looked to be more than a match for the Midnight Blue Ranger, she had to commend Billy's foresight when he had stated that none of the ponies were to engage it without him backing them up. As it was, only Pinkie was assisting Billy as she could use her strange Element Control to attack from literally any angle. She had heard Billy mutter something under his breath about 'cartoon physics' but, as he hadn't elaborated on the subject, she had dropped it. Rolling to the right to avoid yet another blast of lasers, she looked up at the sky to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy team up to slam the Griffon warrior out of the sky. The three combatants crashed into the ground near to the area where the Unicorn Rangers were battling Discord.

Twilight charged once more at Discord and snarled as he leapt into the air. Drawing a bead onto him, she snapped off a few blasts with her Element Blaster before looking to see if Rarity was ready. The Green Ranger lifted a hoof in response and readied the strange combination they had tentatively called the 'Magic Vulcan', which was a combination of the Magic Launchers and the Gem Vulcan. She had heard Billy muttering under his breath about a 'disturbingly phallic symbol', which didn't really make much sense to her, but as she kept looking at it she kept having the same feeling of vague familiarity. Shaking herself out of her thoughts just in time to leap back from a slash from Discord, she felt the air around her become slightly heavier and thicker as Discord's eyes flashed with power once.

"Dragonfire Ranger!"

The power slammed into her, making her knees buckle slightly, but she shook it off as the Dragonstrike Sword fell into her hands. Slashing at Discord, the creature leapt back and struck the area of her armour that was still slightly scarred from Tricksy's monster attack. Warnings flashed on her HUD as she allowed the momentary pain to be taken away by the power flowing through her body. It roared in her ears with an unusually loud rumbling and she swore she could hear, on the distant fringes, the screech of the Utahraptor Dinozord…which was utterly insane. There was no way that she could have developed a link to the Ultra Crystals, unless it had happened when she had been healed from the brink of unconsciousness. Staggering back as the armour began repairing itself once more; she lifted the Sword above her head and sliced down at Discord's own Hellfire Armour. The humanoid pony responded by lifting up the strange dragon's head themed weapon and 'igniting' the blade.

The two blades clashed against each other with a resounding crash that echoed over Ponyville and met again, Twilight parrying a slice from Discord. The former alicorn didn't bother using his xiphos and easily stowed it back in the sheath hanging behind him. He knew that, technically, he and Gilda were defying the orders of Night Shade in engaging the Rangers but his Master had to see that without their assistance, the monster would be pounded into dust within mere moments. His moment of distraction cost him as the powerful sword slammed against his chest, throwing him back into a reinforced waist-high wall. Grumbling at his mistake, he picked himself off the ground just as he heard a shout come from the direction of the 'discarded' Green Ranger. Turning lazily to intercept the supposed attack, his eyes widened slightly as a volley of green-tinged fiery rockets slammed into the Hellfire Armour. He roared in pain at the repeated assaults on the armour caused it to shatter off his body in an anti-flare of light…if such a thing were even possible. Collapsing to the ground as his body smoked from the repeated blasts, he unsheathed his xiphos and forced himself to his feet. With a snarled roar, he ran at the Battlized Ranger…not noticing the aura of magic surrounding him.

"Give up, Gilda! You've lost!"

Squinting through the clouds of dust kicked up by her repeated landings, Gilda looked to the trio of Rangers that had her pinned from all sides. The Red Ranger's whip lasso things were wrapped around both of her legs and had been used to throw her around the battlefield like a chew toy. All right, so maybe she had been caught off guard by the joint attack of the Blue and Yellow Rangers and that had allowed the Red Ranger to fire off those things around her and begin tossing her around…but Dash would have to know better than to keep score! As she tried to figure out what her next move would be, she stopped cold as she saw a shimmering veil envelop the two bipedal warriors.

"What the hay is that?"

She heard the words coming from the Red Ranger but her mind had frozen. Discord couldn't use his magic as it had been brutally ripped away from him by Lord Zedd, but somehow it had returned to him. Her surprise made her open her mouth and stutter out words to herself…oblivious to the Rangers around her.

"No, it can't be…Discord's magic was taken away by Zedd. He can't have access!"

Across the way, Billy glanced at the glowing dome as he dodged swipes from the bladed arms. His internal helmet and suit scanners were trying to figure out what the dome was composed of and how they could break Twilight out of it. This wasn't like the magical dome of darkness that Gryffon had trapped Pinkie in but, from the graphs dancing across his HUD, they were very similar in nature. Jabbing his Acceptance Lance up at the bladed arms once more, he hoped that he could end the fight quickly. As the bladed arms bypassed his Lance and came down on his shoulders, he looked up at the monster once more and wondered for the umpteenth time where he had seen the creature before. It certainly didn't look like anything Zedd had sent down in the past and it was clearly leaps and bounds from the strange creature Night Shade had sent down in his debut appearance. So why did it look so damned familiar?

"Foolish Ranger, only one has challenged me face to face and beaten me. The six before him tried and failed until the fire one appeared."

Billy shook his head as he tried to digest the new information. Fire Ranger, that didn't make sense to him as the only Ranger he knew that could manipulate fire and flames – besides Twilight – was…but that was impossible. There had to be another explanation as to the identity of the fire Ranger. Maybe it was like the Red Mystic Ranger who had mastered fire magic or even his father the Wolf Warrior. Dodging an overhead slash, he thought about lasers and how they, under the right circumstances, could be thought of as fire. However, that choice brought up any number of Rangers that he could have faced off against. Channelling more power into the blades of the Lance, Billy leapt into the air and stabbed down viciously. The prongs slashed through the skin of one head, damaging a handful of eyes and cleanly severing one of the fangs from the face. Screeching in agony, Scissogre staggered back and brought its arms up to cover the wound. Green blood trickled through its fingers as its anger grew in leaps and bounds.

"You! You did this to me!"

Pinkie took this as her opportunity to get back into the fight. Arming her Boomer Blaster, she fired whatever she could at the injured monster…hoping fervently her weapon didn't shoot out rancid cheese again. To her delight, instead of the smelly cheese she had feared, thick streams of sticky honey flew out in a strangely familiar way. Shaking her head at the sight, she watched the liquid splatter the chest and legs of the monster and adhere its feet to the ground. Knowing she had only a small window of time to act, she dismissed her Boomer Blaster and summoned the Smile Slicer, galloping towards the sticky monster at full speed. Bearing down on the monster, she opened fire with her Element Blaster before leaping up and tucking her body into a controlled somersault. Tapping into her Elemental Control, she hung in the air and began smacking the monster on and around its other head. A small part of her mind told her that she was breaking all known 'laws' of physics, but she had never been the type of pony to listen to rules. After a few slashes here and there, she decided the creature was battered enough and resumed her leap away from the monster.

"Foolish Rangers! I will destroy you all to avenge the death of Apollonia!"

Scissogre thrashed about as he tried to hit the two Rangers around him. The liquid the Pink one had sprayed on him was rapidly cooling in the icy air. If he could time it just right, he could shatter the liquid when it crystallised and he would be free to destroy the Rangers. There was also the matter of the strange dome that had encased…but as he watched, the dome lifted to reveal the two combatants looking equally worn out and injured. There were flames licking around the body of the bipedal Purple Ranger and something in his mind snapped.

"Fire Ranger! You will pay for destroying me!"

Billy fell back as the creature wrenched its sticky legs off the ground and clumsily ran towards Twilight. The Midnight Blue Ranger didn't know why Twilight looked so exhausted after only being in the dome for around two minutes but she was in no shape to take on the monster that was barrelling towards her. Forcing himself back onto his feet, he began running towards the monster and prayed to whoever was listening that he would get there before the Ogre creature. As if hearing his pleas, he slowly began to pick up speed and the blades of the Acceptance Lance began to glow a faint yellow. He would never know that he was being helped and watched over by the energy of Shining Light. Twisting the middle of the Acceptance Lance, he broke it into its two halves and planned his attack. There would be no way one single blow could ever hope to defeat it, but it would slow it enough for Twilight to regain her second wind. At just the right moment, he bent his knees slightly more and launched himself off the ground, flipping over the heads of the monster and lifting the Lance above his head as lightning crackled overhead.

"Blue Crash!"

In a near-exact replica of a move made years ago in another dimension, the three blades on each staff grew in length at the moment where they met the flesh of the Ogre. Blue energy mixed with white lightning as the monster was cut into three pieces by the highly energised attack. As his feet touched the ground, Billy rolled away from the monster and readied himself, in case one attack wasn't enough. He could have sworn he heard the screeching roar of a Hydra somewhere nearby, but he could have been mistaken. The Ogre was still standing, but wavering slightly and tried to take a step forward. Smoke wafted out of the cracks in its armour and from the slightly glowing areas and it toppled forwards, giving out one final wail of defeat before exploding with a bright flash that nearly blinded all watching. Billy dropped to the ground, not noticing Discord and Gilda teleporting out, and breathed heavily.

Against all odds, they had won.

TBC…


	25. Deciphering the Truth

Chapter 25: Deciphering the Truth

"What did they mean by Zedd?"

Night Shade replayed the battle once more and enhanced the audio. The various battle cries and sounds stirred some memories deep inside him and some of the tactics used were frustratingly familiar. The sight of the Purple Ranger changing into the strange Dragon-themed armour also brought of strange images through his mind and made the scar on his chest ache like Hell. For reasons unknown to him, he had unconsciously shifted back into his pony form…but could still access the magic that had been unlocked. The question of where he had gained the growth spell had finally be answered but even that answer had opened up another few dozen cans of worms. The strange Orange Ranger that had destroyed the monsters he could remember was in Equestria as well, but was sporting a different and changed look. As he accessed the file that had been recorded prior to his memories being unlocked, he noted that the Orange Ranger moved almost as if he had achieved a full and complete bond with the Ultra Crystal. Of course, that was impossible as his sources had informed him that such a feat would only be possible if the Ultra Crystal shattered and was reformed by magic. And since he didn't recall feeling the Crystals shatter that he could remember…

Hearing a door open behind him, he turned around to see a strange reptilian creature skulk in to the room. By all accounts, it looked like a unicorn that had been crudely and forcefully moulded into the form of a crocodile. He could make out small details that hinted at what the animal had been first, such as the pale blue half mane and the jagged remained of a horn that protruded from between the eyes. There was also a familiar magical aura around her…but he couldn't put his finger on what it reminded him of. A husky voice, almost luxurious in tone, came from the creature in front of him.

"My Lord, you summoned me?"

He nodded, internally infuriated by the increasingly familiar aura of magic surrounding her. If he were to take a stab in the dark about what it could possibly be, he would have said it had something to do with Zedd…which brought him all the way back to square one. Zedd was still, as far as he knew, attempting to throw his leg over the Power Rangers and make the Earth his. Of course, they would then have to sit down and figure out how to divide everything up but that was something in the future.

"Tricksy, is it? Apologies I haven't called upon you until now."

"It is of no concern. I am yours to command in whatever way you wish."

An uneasy feeling trickled down his spine at those words. There was no doubt in his mind that she meant what had been said and would carry out any order to the letter – no matter how degrading or demeaning. If he had any idea what she looked like before the transformation had taken place, he may have been tempted but as she was now…he forced himself to cut off that train of thought before it evolved into something truly disturbing. Stretching out all of his senses, he slowly walked around the reptilian pony and racked his brain for where to place her in his forces. It had been a rather rash and hasty decision to include her, but the alternative was to allow her to remain a free agent. That was not something he was comfortable with…too many variables there. However, there seemed to be another magical force coming from the strange crescent on top of her wand. It was something that was familiar to him – the tremors of a great mass of creatures just itching to be released. Perhaps he could use that force to his advantage somehow…

"Not to worry, however, I do have some questions I feel you will be able to answer. You seem more stable than Discord originally stated."

"Yes, my exile allowed me to pull the remains of my mind together and follow the True Master once more."

As she nodded, Night Shade attempted to make the connection once more. It was familiar to Zedd's style but there was no way he could have come to Equestria without the proper returning spell. There was only one way to make sure of it though, a spell word his brother had ingrained into every spell he had cast that would allow anyone in his family group to access the truth hidden within the very core of the possessed. It was an ancient and archaic word that didn't mean much of anything in 'modern times', but was apparently a phrase for asking a servant to bare all. The context wasn't known to them but they had been fairly young princes at that time and had only one thing on their minds. If it didn't work then that would be a great relief to him but if it did…well, he would get his answers about Zedd and his presence. He couldn't allow his younger brother to upstage him anyway. Nervously, he opened his mouth to speak the word.

"Ryokos'Ho."

To his utter astonishment, Tricksy's body went rigid for a few seconds and he could see thin lines of purple and red energy arcing over her skin. He closed his eyes, quietly quelling the emotional storm raging within him and focused his thoughts once more. So, Zedd had managed to come to Equestria somehow. There was a very real chance that it wasn't his brother who had come through but a dimensional copy and he held onto that tightly, but that had its own gut-churners associated with it. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes to see Tricksy struggling under the thrall of the spell and internally praised her for the strength of her mind. He paused and rectified that in his mind as a strong mind was obviously needed to hold back the tides of creatures. He would have to be very quick in gaining the information if he didn't want a tsunami of monsters giving away their position to the Rangers. dropping his voice low, he hissed at the frozen unicorn/reptile hybrid.

"Now, explain to me what everyone means by Zedd. What is the connection between my brother and this dimension?"

Tricksy's mouth felt like it was filled with cotton wool. Some magic inside her forced words to come out, even though she fought with all of her strength. She couldn't afford to let her mental control over her creatures slip – even for the barest moments – but the magic controlling her obviously didn't care about that. Whatever it was, it almost reminded her of the feeling of overwhelming power and madness she had felt in that one moment when Zedd's energy had entered her mind and body. She heard her voice spill out and she was utterly powerless to stop it.

"I…I do not know about the family connection, but I know that Lord Zedd arrived in Equestria as a ball of energy. He entered my original state and created a body for himself. It was he who released Discord from his tomb along with forcibly enspelling Gilda to work for him. As far as I know, he was defeated in the events of the battle two years ago but I am sure he has not been destroyed."

Well, that answered the question of if it was his brother or not. Zedd still had a body the last time he had checked and it was still his skinless ensemble with the Zycordian Silver that had cost a fortune and a half to create. Balls of energy seemed like good ways to travel through the Universe, or even through a portal, but coming out the other side hurt like crazy. Xonix opened his mouth and closed it as a thought occurred to him. There was one way he had heard of that a body of energy could possibly be separated from a physical being and that was if the two things were separate. That fully cemented the thought in his mind that this Zedd was not his brother but an entirely different Zedd from an entirely different dimensional plane. Thinking about it made his brain begin to throb in agony and he returned his mind to the next question in the queue – specifically the Dark Ultra Crystal owned by Discord.

"Was he the original owner of the crystal in Discord's possession?"

Tricksy thought about the question for a few seconds before nodding. Her Master had used the Dark Crystal several times but it seemed to resonate better with Discord for some reason. Zedd would not be happy with him whenever he returned from…wherever he had gone. However, there was something she had heard the traitor Dimitria talking about; a device in Canterlot that could be useful to their plans. In any case, telling Night Shade about it would make her immediate life so much easier.

"Yes, however he was unable to access most of its powers. It was also the object responsible for alerting the Ultra Rangers to our world as there was an object in the possession of the Rangers called a Multiversal Opener."

His eyes narrowed at the familiar words. A Multiversal Opener would mean that he could draw his forces from his own dimension to easily crush these Rangers. Such pathetic Rangers wouldn't stand a chance against the more savage creatures he had waiting in the wings and if all else failed; he could call upon Psychogre to deal with them. The Ultra Psycho Ranger would love the small challenge presented to him.

He paused as a strange feeling punched him in the gut. It felt akin to sorrow and longing, though he didn't know why he was feeling it. Psychogre was one of the strongest creatures in his army and the Ultra Psycho Rangers were overpowering if they fought as a cohesive unit. The only way they could be defeated would be if they came up against a stronger power but that was all but impossible. There was no stronger Power out there and he would do his hardest to bring all of them here. His mind hummed to life as he thought about ways of storming their Canterlot base and snatching the Opener from the foolish Rangers.

"Can we somehow gain access into their base?"

"It may be possible but it is something to be looked in to."

Absently nodding at the information, he felt the magic dissipate from her body as she was freed from the grip of the spell. Thanks to an elaborate debate session, his brother had also stated that it was only good for one use. The magic word would not work a second time and he really didn't want to press his luck futility trying for a second time. Ensuring the unicorn creature was free from any after-effects of the spell; he reached into one of his subspace pockets and withdrew a short scrap of parchment. The runes on the material glowed with power and Tricksy felt her eyes and gaze being drawn to it as it landed in front of her with a heavy thump. Night Shade nodded as reverently as he could and spoke softly.

"Thank you for your time. I want you to create a monster's body for me to a list of exact specifications. I will deal with the consciousness and intelligence."

Yes, the Multiversal Opener would be useful to his needs but he wanted to see how quickly the Rangers resorted to calling for help. Would they scream for assistance when faced with a foe several times stronger than them or would they press on in a foolish attempt to conquer the mountain? He blinked at the random thought that formed and smirked. Now that he knew that a Lord Zedd had come to Equestria, he felt more in control than before. He would ensure that Zedd never, ever left Equestria and battled the Rangers well into the future. However, that was a plan for the future. The Ultra Rangers were his target now and he grinned maliciously as he selected the monster to send after them.

It was time to lure them out.

TBC…

AN: Night Shade was supposed to find [Censored] in this chapter but I thought it was too early a reveal. Of course, if you've been following along, you know who I mean anyway.


	26. Coulrophobia

Chapter 26: Coulrophobia

"Ah still think ya should chuck it out."

Billy looked down at the foal standing next to him and shook his head. Once again, through some way or another, he had found himself foal-sitting for the Cutie Mark Crusaders once more. The trio were keeping their horsing around to a bare minimum, with the exception of Scootaloo who was groaning at every bad horse and pony related pun coming from the human. Placed on a ledge, safely out of reach was the object that had been activated the previous time and that, for better or for worse, had sent more and more chaos and action into their lives. The Multiversal Opener was akin to a time bomb but he couldn't bring himself to throw it out. For one thing, there wasn't a safe way for it to be dismantled and disposed of as even he didn't know how the internals worked. Oh, sure, he had pieced it together but he had been running on caffeine and the kind of concentration that could only come from several days of not sleeping. Dismantling an atomic bomb would have been much easier.

"I'd rather not. There are several components in here that can be used to repair the Dimensional Doorway if the ZARS were ever to run out of steam."

The younger pony tilted her head at the explanation. It didn't really make that much sense to her, but everything had flown over her head at school. Now that they were out for a few weeks of holidays, she was itching to find her Cutie Mark any way she could. The trio were the only foals in their final year that had yet to gain their Marks, but she guessed the pride she felt when helping the Rangers was a sort of Mark in its own way. Then again, without an external Mark, none of them felt like it was good enough for them. She looked behind her to see what the others were up to. As this was pretty much the first time in a while they had been inside the Command Tower, the girls were looking around at the changes, differences and the various security logs. One in particular had caught their interest as it was extremely protected and had required several things to be done or said at the same time for _anything_ to happen.

"But that ZARS won't begin to break down for another hundred years or so. We'll still be kicking around so you can repair it then."

Billy looked down at the younger pony and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Whether it was an after-effect of Zedd's defeat or something that was bound to happen all along, it seemed some of the energy from the Element Morphers had, for lack of a better word, leaked over the family members and close relatives of the Rangers. Of course, the energy wouldn't grant them full immortality, but they would continue to live on for another few centuries. Interestingly enough, it had also affected Granny Smith and had de-aged the matriarch of the Apple Family until she looked young enough to be Applejack's sister. It was something that was rather amusing for all involved, including Granny Smith – who was revealing a carefully hidden mischievous streak. Looking over his shoulder to see Sweetie Belle squinting at some of the recent energy readings, he shook his head and thought of the other, more disturbing incident of the recent past.

On a whim, he had contacted the dimension of the Ultra Rangers to send over some of the images from the recent battle. Weihan had answered the call and had informed the Midnight Blue Ranger that they were also dealing with the aftermath of a crisis of their own. He hadn't said much about it, only muttering something about 'him' being responsible for the 'overcharge'…whatever that was supposed to mean. However, all half-revealed mutterings cut off with an audible snap as the Orange Ranger had set eyes on the monster. The Asian boy had gone very still and very silent as his eyes roamed over the body of the monster. In a very quiet voice, he had asked who sent down the monster and if it had said anything else. After reviewing the audio logs of the battle, Weihan had stood up from his set, muted the audio from his side and had, apparently, started screaming and swearing out loud. After around ten minutes, he had calmed down and had apologised for his outburst. Billy had waved it off somewhat had had transferred the recordings of the battle to the computers in the Ultra Cavern.

Billy had a strange feeling that things were being connected that would draw the two dimensions together even closer than before. Whether that was a good or bad thing was to be seen, but something suggested that Night Shade would be in the very centre of it. After the call, he had looked through the battle footage once more and had run numerous searches on the name the monster had mentioned 'Apollonia'. So far, he had come up empty-handed but the answer was somewhere close by. Surprisingly, Scootaloo had found what could have been a reference to the monster on one of the old logs from Zordon's war with Rita. It mentioned a monster that was dangerously destructive on the battlefield and was described like a Roman Hoplite, if Billy recalled his Ancient Roman History. He shook his head and turned around at the sound of teleportation. Materialising from two beams of light were Twilight and Applejack. Giving her little sister an affectionate rub on the head, the Red Ranger nodded to Billy before walking over to supervise the other two Crusaders. Twilight trotted over to him and spoke in a low voice.

"Any luck analysing the energy yet?"

He shook his head. Energy readings of the monster he had done in battle had revealed the creative energy to be a literal mash up of several different sources. One moment it had identified it as Zedd's energy, the next was something different…it was like completing a single jigsaw puzzle from several boxes of parts. However, throughout all the chaos associated with it, there had been some consistent results. His voice was low to avoid attracting the attention of the three younger ponies.

"No…it bears some similarity with the Ultra Energy, but slightly different."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to calm himself down by performing some of the Aquitian breathing exercises that he had remembered. Unfortunately, doing those brought about slightly more stress as they would inevitably remind him of Cestria and of her death. The sting associated with those memories had lessened somewhat, but it would always be there…no matter how much he could forgive Zordon or accept the fact that he had done all he could. Stepping away from the shelf that held the Multiversal Opener, he walked over to the station that monitored the old, abandoned outpost and frowned slightly. The power levels had fluctuated once more…almost as if there was other power being forced into the system, but it was probably an overreaction on his part. Absently, he opened his mouth and began speaking.

"At this point, all we can do is wait for Night Shade to make his move. I don't think he'll attack so soon after the scissor Ogre thing."

The alarms started blaring, causing all occupants in the Command Tower to jump. As Princess Celestia ran in from one of the outer chambers, Billy turned to Twilight and shook his head.

"Don't say it."

Chuckling under her breath, the Purple Ranger cantered over to the scanners and, using her magic, flicked on the screen to pinpoint the disturbance. What she saw made her tilt her head in confusion as it was nothing like she had seen before. It was a biped and it was proportioned in the same ways as any human she had seen. It was wearing a garishly bright green and white skin-tight bodysuit with an almost-cartoonish representation of a joker's head emblazoned on the chest. Clutched in one hand was a short rod that was topped with a comically large ring. Its face was done up with white, black and purple paint and there were red streaks on its face that looked disturbingly like fresh blood. Applejack took one look at the humanoid on the screen and felt a shiver of fear rush through her body.

"What the…Ah've never seen somethin' like that before."

"Rangers! Come out, wherever you are! I have presents!"

The shrill, almost too jovial, voice rang out over the speakers and the Rangers looked at each other uncertainly. Almost on an unconscious reflex, they summoned their Element Morphers and prepared to teleport off. Billy sent a short message to the others that they were needed and swallowed as he looked at the creature once more. It didn't look like it had been conceived by anything remotely sane but they had a duty to protect the populace from the twisted machinations of Night Shade. He looked behind him at the Princess of the Day and nodded slowly.

"We can't afford to let something that demented walk the streets. Princess, we're off."

Princess Celestia nodded back. The creature on the screen was something out of her worst nightmares and the thought of Twilight, and the Rangers, going up against it sent shivers of fear through her body. Frowning slightly at the last thoughts to cross her mind, she looked back and opened her muzzle to speak, three flashes of coloured light stopping her words. As the Rangers teleported off, she stated them softly to the Chamber occupied by her and the three foals.

"Be safe."

TBC…


	27. Food Fight

Chapter 27: Food Fight

It was chaos, pure and simple.

Billy stood on the sidelines while pies, assorted fruit and even the odd roast chicken flew back and forth between the two active combatants. They had arrived on the scene a few minutes ago and had immediately begun to engage the monster. It had been a fairly even battle, even with the arrival of Discord and a few Uni-Golems and the Midnight Blue Ranger had prepared himself for a fairly lengthy battle. Of course, he was hoping to fight the humanoid horse one-on-one to analyse the strange energy that had been recorded by Twilight's suit. After the Uni-Golems had been dealt with, the six Rangers had closed in on Discord…and had noticed that one of their numbers was absent. Discord had also noticed said absence and was planning to ambush them or something…when the first pies had started flying. It had almost been pure chance that a chocolate pie had smacked into Discord's face, bringing an end to their fight and ensnaring all of them into the slightly controlled chaos.

"Pinch me."

Discord shook his head at the request of the human Ranger. It looked like he was correct in thinking that any monster created by Tricksy would either be extremely strong or extremely insane. Night Shade had assured him that the monster was no less lethal and deadly as the others that had preceded it and its antics would lull the Ranger into a false sense of security. It was a good plan in theory but seeing it acted upon before his eyes was, he struggled for a word or phrase to use that wasn't 'completely bonkers'. It seemed almost as if all the concentrated insanity that had been rolling around Tricksy had become manifest and the only thing standing in the way of an Equestria totally swept away by chaos was…the Pink Ranger.

Just looking at the battle was starting to make his mind hurt and, even with the knowledge he was able to access from the Dark Ultra Crystal, nothing made sense. There was no possible way that so many puffed pastry projectiles could be packed inside the staff, unless they were pressurised to extremely high levels. Scooping some of the chocolate off his left shoulder-plate, he looked at the melting brown liquid and cautiously stuck it into his mouth. Rolling it around with his tongue, he found it to have a rather pleasant flavour as it wasn't too overly sweet. There were some savoury notes and there was one maddeningly familiar taste, he couldn't put his finger on what it was though.

"This is…in all my years banished, even my mind never thought of this…"

Twilight looked up at Discord and dropped her morph, her armour falling off in purple and red sparkles. The only Ranger to be actively engaged in the fighting was Pinkie and the Pink Pony seemed to be having the time of her life. Discord was as shocked and stunned as they were and probably wouldn't even risk starting another battle to avoid slipping on the shattered pies and crushed fruits littered on the ground. Hearing the other Rangers drop their morphs, she slowly looked around the battlefield to see what havoc had been wreaked. On one hoof, the streets of Canterlot had never looked fresher. There was a sweet smell in the air and everywhere she looked, there were abstract representations of Modern Art that were constantly changing due to the wind and light.

On the other hoof, the rotting food was starting to attract flies. If they didn't wrap up the battle soon and begin with the cleaning, the flies would give way to Parasprites and their unique brand of terror and mayhem. What made things worse was that Pinkie – the only pony with the speed and know-how to combat them – was locked in an epic food fight with a monster that looked like…well, she didn't really have a comparison for what it looked like; but it looked insane. Carefully avoiding putting her hoof in several steaming piles of meat pie filling, she looked up at Billy and opened her mouth.

"Billy, when you designed the powers, did you –"

Billy rubbed his eyes once more and shook his head. He was beginning to wish that he had called the Ultra Rangers right off the bat to help with the monster, but they had their own issues to deal with. He licked his lips, tasting the strange sour note from the lemon custard tart that had nicked his ear after his morph had dropped, and sighed as he watched Pinkie's Boomer Blaster shoot out something that looked similar to banana custard. Great, now he was becoming hungry again.

"No. I didn't have any trouble with Pinkie's Powers until creating her Zord. Now that the Elemental Control has been linked with your Ranger Powers, even I don't know what she's capable of."

"We can only hope Pinkie deals with the monster soon...and that it doesn't grow."

Pinkie giggled as she rolled to one side. The monster in front of her wasn't like any of the others that she had faced solo before and she was having the time of her life. She knew that the monster would have to be destroyed, but there was nothing in the Ranger Rulebook that said she couldn't have fun while doing so…right? Leaping over a barrage of apple pies, she angled the barrel of her Boomer Blaster down to take another few blasts at the monster. Surprisingly, actual lasers blasted out of the weapon for three blasts before changing back into sticky mango sauce. The energy exploded against the staff of the monster and broke the ring off the top. The creature broke off from his attacks to stare at his ruined weapon with an expression of comical dismay. Shrugging once, the creature tossed it over his shoulder and _somehow_ opened the face on his chest. Pony, human and humanoid pony watched with equal measures of fascinated revulsion as the monster reached into the mouth and pulled out a shiny, new rod. The mouth closed with a barely perceptible click and its grin seemed to stretch further and further out. Pinkie gave an involuntary shiver at the sight and began pushing power into her Boomer Blaster. As blueberry tartlets flew out of her Laughter Blaster, she kept her eyes on the meter on her HUD that would tell her when the attack was ready.

Sparks flashed across her eyes as a wave of fresh egg custard splashed down on her armour from above. The Pink Ranger collapsed under the weight of the heavy mix and struggled to get back to her feet. However, the slippery mess made her unable to do much of anything, except writhe on the ground. A flash of memory sprang up from the depths of her mind of a similar situation she had dreamt about once. Except there had been no monster, Rarity had been there and they were suspended off the ground by…something. The slimy and sticky feeling on her was present but it had a strangely organic smell and it made her dizzy. Shaking her head, she dug her hooves into the ground and used the Smile Slicer as a lever to, finally, stand on her four hooves. One of these days, she would find out exactly what the dream had been about and figure out what had happened and why that feeling happened when she was alone with the Orange Ranger. A soft chime in her ear caused a smile to spread over her face as she opened her mouth to shout out the attack name.

"Boomer Blaster Burst Blaze!"

In a mighty eruption of light, sound and chocolate, the Boomer Blaster and Laughter Blaster fired simultaneously – overwhelming the feeble defences of the monster. The creature in question only had time to let out a strangled squeak of surprise before it was buried in a surprisingly tangible mound of energy, power, sugar and molasses. The finishing attack ended and Pinkie turned around to face her audience as the monster exploded in a fireball. Unfortunately for the Pink Pony, the recoil from the finishing attack hadn't pushed her out of the custard puddle and her boots slipped on the slimy mess; causing her to fall over onto her face. as the ringing in everyone's ears faded away, the Pink Ranger looked at the mess her battle with the as-yet-unnamed monster had produced and her tail visibly drooped down.

"Aw man…"

TBC…


	28. Sanity on Hold

AN: Pinkie spoils something in here.

Chapter 28: Sanity on Hold

"It's not over yet, Rangers!"

Those were the words spoken by the now-giant creature as it towered over them. Billy swore under his breath and reached up into the sky to summon the Wolf Shogunzord, energy swirling around them as he flash-morphed. He could see the other Ranger lifting their hooves into the air to call upon their Harmonyzords and fervently hoped that the monster didn't notice what they were doing. A few seconds later and that hope was dashed as thick globs of what seemed to be semi-solid sticky date pudding mix dropped out of the sky to cover most of the summoned Zords and Rangers. Struggling to get out of the mess, he looked up and noticed that two Zords had managed to survive unscathed against the random cake attack. The Pink and Yellow Harmonyzords stood proudly above the sticky and batter-smeared shells of their companions. From the external speakers of the Laughter Harmonyzord came Pinkie's voice.

"Silly, it wasn't an attack. It was an assault with cake! See, he wanted to make this about the return of someone who I can't say but who has a very different personality in canon and seeing as how his change of Discord was so well received, well, I can't say anymore cause he's glaring at me and I think it is great that you finally got that issue sorted out. You need to get back to work cause the agents are too dumb to look at their bank accounts and see they've been paid and I should stop peeking into your brain again, eh?"

Billy blinked hard and shook his head. He could hear the confused comments from the other Rangers and wondered, for the billionth time, who Pinkie was speaking to and what she could see. He hoped the heat from the cooking cake didn't overload the self-repair protocols in the armour as he had no doubt that he nor the others wanted to be neck-deep in cake batter. He snuck a quick glance over to Discord and, for the briefest of moments, felt some degree of sympathy for him. The humanoid horse was literally up to his eyeballs in sticky date pudding and would more than likely be spending the next few days trying to get everything out of his fur. Using his eyes to access the communications menu, he spoke directly to Pinkie and Fluttershy.

"Girls, the two of you are the only ones that can save us. Combine your Zords into the Fluttering Loon and destroy the beast as quickly as you can!"

Fluttershy nodded in confirmation, her wings slowly flapping to keep her off the ground. She knew that there hadn't been a Warriorzord combination since Applejack and Rainbow Dash had merged their Zords together, but the monster in front of her was something that really couldn't be overlooked. Pinkie had done a lot of damage with her battle against the monster in its normal form, so she really didn't want anymore damage to the city. As if responding to her nod, a wave of energy spread out through her Zord to prepare it for the transformations to come.

"Got it, Pinkie. Let's combine!"

Pinkie nodded in response and manipulated the menu with her eyes. There were lots of new weapons that had been unlocked since the last time and she felt a pang of disappointment that she wouldn't be able to use them against the monster. She knew that the monster needed to be defeated so the cleanup could begin but even so, she would have thought there would be some small degree of cleanup…even with all the food related detritus out there. Wordlessly, she pressed down on the transformation control and smiled widely as the two Zords were wrapped up in the cloud of pink smoke she had seen all those years ago. Of course, she knew that true purpose of the smoke was to help the author with not having to think up flashy transformation sequences, but she knew if she vocalised that truth, she would just get strange looks from the others. It was hard knowing where everything was going to go but not being able to say anything about it. At least watching the Season 3 opener had been worth the strange looks.

A few moments later, the Pink Ranger was pulled out of her cockpit as it changed to accommodate the two Rangers. Blinking at the light, Pinkie found herself seated at a cockpit with a single hoof-sheath in front of her. Due to the sheath being in the centre of the console, she could either use her left or right front hoof to control the Warriorzord. She looked behind her at a startled squeak to see Fluttershy materialise behind a control panel similar to the one in front of her. Dials, levers and buttons were everywhere and their lights blinked on and off in near-hypnotising patterns. It was all she could do not to look at them and focus on the remarkably patient monster in front of them. Pumping her left hoof into the air, she slid her right leg into the sheath and felt the Warriorzord hum to life.

"Woo! Fluttering Loon, transformation complete!"

Fluttershy weakly nodded and then yelped in surprise as the machine took off towards the monster. She could see everything in crystal clear detail in front of her as they came closer to the clown/joker monster. Even though she was used to the forces that were produced from the Zords taking off at high speeds, her stomach dropped as they leapt into the air and started spinning towards the monster. With its fingers splayed in rather impossible positions, she hoped they could hit something other than themselves. The Zord shuddered around her as the hind legs scraped along the face of the beast, drawing blood. The clown staggered back, clutching at its face and roared in pain. Pulling back its fist, it punched out and smacked the chest of the Zord with what looked like a pathetically weak and unfocused blow. However, the Zord trembled once more as the warnings about armour damage began to flash on the screen. Pinkie chewed her lower lip nervously as her eyes skimmed over the damage outputs.

"Whoa! That thing packs a punch! Careful Fluttershy, don't get too close! Let's see what this button does!"

Pressing the button closest to her left side, the Zord shook once as the emblem on the chest irised open to allow a stream of sticky toffee to spray from within. The sugary treat covered the monster and temporary immobilised it under the crystallised sugar. Pinkie squealed with delight as Fluttershy moved the tail into a striking position and swung it at the chest of the monster. The ground rumbled as the sticky monster fell to the ground and struggled to get back onto its feet. From the ground, Billy shook his head as he came to the sudden realisation that the Fluttering Loon was much more random and unpredictable than he had first thought. He shook his head once more and began to slowly extract himself from the pudding around him. Maybe he could have eaten himself out…if he didn't hate sticky date pudding with a passion. Summoning his Element Blade Blaster, he painstakingly began to chip away at the hardening confection around him with the blades.

"Hmm. Not what I was expecting at all. Maybe this will do the trick!"

Pinkie turned a dial and watched as lasers blasted out of the eyes of the Zord, impacting against the upper arms of the sugar-coated monster and cracking the toffee off its body. Smiling in relief, the monster rose from the ground and began throwing several explosive pies at the mechanical beast in front of it. After pausing very slightly to wonder where the pies were coming from, the monster resumed its attack as sparks exploded from the cream-covered machine. Inside the main cockpit, the two Rangers squealed in surprise as sparks rained down from exploding panels. From her position behind the Pink Ranger, Fluttershy kept her eyes on the monster as she desperately tried to shake the creamy filling off the main limbs of the Warriorzord. Unlike when they had been combining, the creature was now walking towards them with a look of murderous intent in its soulless eyes. As both of its arms drew back, Fluttershy squeaked out a warning that came a bit too late.

"Pinkie! Watch out!"

Two fists slammed into the Warriorzord and sent it airborne for a brief moment. The landing sent a violent tremor through the surrounding areas and, thankfully, shattered the crumbling cake from the Rangers. As the shaking died down, Billy took a few moments to regain feeling in his extremities and judge the situation at hand. The Fluttering Loon was slowly getting up off the ground, sweetened cream was dripping off the buildings around him, his HUD was informing him of a strange power source approaching slowly and Discord was still stuck neck-deep in sticky date pudding. As the other Rangers demorphed to allow the residue to crumble away, Discord noticed the human looking at him and, over the din of the raging combatants, spoke in a loud voice.

"Um, I don't mean to be any trouble but could you please help me out?"

Billy thought long and hard. On one hand, he would be helping out an enemy – albeit one that couldn't fight back. There had been plenty of cases in the past where he had heard about Rangers helping out enemies with their problems, only to have the aforementioned enemy backstab them in the end. He had a feeling that Discord wouldn't do that to them as he would want to ensure every little bit of the batter was away from him. Quietly 'sheathing' the energy blades, he took careful aim at the cake-encased Discord and fired several quick shots. As expected, the superheated plasma bolts blasted through the cake like it was nothing and liquefied enough of it so the humanoid horse could break free. Lips curling in disgust as he surveyed his crumb-encrusted form, he bowed once to the Midnight Blue Ranger.

"Thank you. All right, this is where I take my leave from this insanity."

Discord vanished with a grumble and Billy bit back a bark of laughter. He hoped everything would be all right as the monster seemed to be stronger than usual…but not on the scale of the Scissogre monster. That one…he shuddered lightly as he remembered how strong it had been and what Weihan's reaction had been when the images had been transferred. He knew he was close to figuring out Night Shade and his agenda, but the connections he had made just didn't seem to make sense. As he gingerly sat on the remnants of his cake prison, he watched the two giants duke it out above him. Night Shade couldn't be Xonix…could he?

Fluttershy cried out as the Warriorzord was hit by another cream pie flung by the monster. The armour was almost at critical point and any more damage would surely overload the connector joints. Her hooves flew over the various buttons and levers, trying to find a way to strengthen more of the ZARS and to keep the cream from damaging the joints any more than they already had. She shook her head and winced behind her helmet as she wondered why the words 'cream pie' kept bringing up strange images, feelings and sounds. They had a dreamlike quality to them, but she knew they had happened and that something had spurted deep within her. Her mind was brought back to the battle just as Pinkie initiated the finisher.

"Kind of Laughter Blast!"

Fluttershy giggled at the odd name but kept her eyes on the screen in front of her as heavy iron shutters slid down in front of their view. The screen switched to the external camera feed coming from the Command Tower, so she could see the finisher taking place. The tail elongated and slammed into the ground like she had seen Jason's Tyrannosaurus Dinozord do all those years ago. The legs deployed their shock anchors, burrowing deeply into the ground as the Fluttering Loon took on a more saurian stance. The Warriorzord growled once before opening its mouth to allow a thick spiral beam of yellow and pink energy to blast out. The creature barely had enough time to scream before it was engulfed in its deadly glow. An explosion of smoke and sparks obscured the creature from view as the Fluttering Loon returned to its 'normal' state. Fluttershy and Pinkie breathed a collective sigh of relief…only to have the Zord stagger on its feet as dozens of tiny lasers impacted the armour.

The tiny amount of damage that was done was enough to separate the Fluttering Loon into the Kindness and Laughter Harmonyzords. From behind the cloud came the badly battered form of the monster. Billy's eyes widened as he noticed the sparks that were liberally pouring from the creature and noted that it was extremely close to death…but still standing. Twilight's ears flattened against her head and she pawed the ground nervously. She opened her mouth to speak, but changed her tone mid-sentence as a strange unicorn flashed into view.

"It's…not destroyed? Wait…what's that?"

It was a pitch-black unicorn with a silver horn and a flowing black and grey mane. Its purple eyes shone with power and malice, something that was reflected by the armour it was wearing. It snorted darkly and lowered its head, charging its horn with dark blue energy. With an almighty cry, it blasted an energy bolt from the tip of its horn towards the monster. Billy kept his guard up in case this new arrival was another acquaintance of Night Shade. However, he couldn't stop his eyes from tracing the path of the bolt as it sped towards the monster and impacted against its chest. The Midnight Blue Ranger watched as the monster convulsed in apparent agony and then crumbled to dust with nary a spark or flicker of flame. The Purple Ranger looked at the unicorn as it approached the group and gasped at the aura of power she could feel.

"One shot…there must be so much raw power in that blast."

The unicorn stopped in front of her and, to her great surprise, bowed its head. Opening its mouth, it spoke in a deep and rich voice that reminded Billy of James Earl Jones.

"Greetings friends. Could you please direct me to the one called Celestia? She will want to see me."

Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and stepped forward. The strange unicorn wouldn't be getting near the Princess if he had evil on his mind. Sure, his voice was luxurious to listen to; but she had a duty to protect Equestria at all costs. No unicorn with a fancy voice and overwhelming power would be getting in her way…not without concrete answers. As if sensing the question, the unicorn inclined his head to the Blue Ranger and spoke.

"My name is King Sombra."

Noticing the confused looks around him, he sighed. Perhaps it would be better to inform them of his relation to her. Nodding to himself, he opened his mouth and wondered how they would take this piece of information.

"I am her father."

TBC…

AN2: Since the personality of Discord was only met with one neigh-sayer, I've changed Sombra's personality as well. Where has he been for the past few thousand years? That will be answered soon…


	29. Secrets

AN: Ooh, I'm gonna get a lot of flak from this…

Chapter 29: Secrets

He blinked at the information.

A new, all black, unicorn had shown up out of the blue and had destroyed a giant monster with a single shot from its horn. Where a fully powered Warriorzord had failed, this unicorn had succeeded…and now he had told them that he was the father of Princess Celestia? Billy shook the remaining small crumbs out of his hair and looked skeptically at the pony in front of him. The armour it was wearing didn't exactly scream out 'purity' or 'goodness' but on the other hand, Luna didn't exactly look like her sister either and she was helping fight the battle against Night Shade. Silencing the doubts and questions churning up within him, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the Wolf that resided within him. He listened to the voice of his Spirit Animal as it told him that the pony in front of him was to be trusted implicitly and they would be at a turning point in the conflict very soon. His eyes flashed blue once and he opened them, staring at the strange unicorn.

"All right. I can't say why, but I feel like we can trust you. Rangers, stand down. It's not a trick of Discord's."

At the words of their unofficial leader, the other six ponies visibly relaxed, yet Sombra seemed to stiffen slightly. The Midnight Blue Ranger stepped forward and opened his mouth to explain himself and the situation, but stopped. King Sombra was looking at him almost as if he had seen something that was either biped or humanoid and was visibly trying to calm himself. Sombra sniffed the air once before stepping towards him slowly. Although the Power had told him that the unicorn was not one to be feared, his actions were unnerving him greatly. The black maned unicorn nodded slowly, as if confirming something that was already known.

"Yes, I have sensed this same energy during our travels."

Billy's eyes widened and he ran to the unicorn, looking it in the eyes to see if it was a trick of Night Shade's or even Discord in disguise. He stretched out with the senses Ninjor had taught him all those years ago, trying to find some degree of falsity in King Sombra's claims. However, instead of the dark tremors that signified lies or hidden truths, the energy of the words was as clear as a bell. Billy shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, looking at the devastated city around them. Now that the monster had been destroyed, various ponies that hadn't made it into the Monster Shelters were starting to come out of their hiding places. If this pony was who he claimed, there wouldn't be a pony alive that would be able to verify his words except for the two Princesses in the Command Tower.

"Travels? Where have you…wait, how could you have sensed this power?"

King Sombra's ears twitched as the first murmurs reached them. He was well aware that he did not look like the type of pony that would be a benevolent sort and, for the billionth time, cursed his outward appearance. The wind ruffled through his mane and he took in a deep breath, wondering when the pickup time would be. The air smelled different than it had all those years ago. It was slightly sweeter but held an extremely subtle note of unimaginable bitterness. Unfortunately for him, he knew where the bitterness was coming from…even if the originator had long since forgotten. Yet, in the short amount of time he had on this plane, his offspring needed to know what they had been up against all this time. The final secret that had distanced himself and his wife from their daughters would finally be out in the open…but it could not be stated here. He trotted up to the biped and spoke to him in a low tone.

"Please, we should not talk here as there could be prying ears. I will explain everything to you when I see me daughter."

The biped gazed back, giving him a curiously level look. Sombra gazed into his eyes and could almost see the Power that was barely contained inside him. The travellers had informed him of their Power and how they had placed the strongest ones away for safekeeping. They had watched the various beings use other variations of the Power for their own gains and…had seen some of them fall. He mentally shook his head as he banished those thoughts back to the dark abyss of his mind.

"And what of your other daughter? Do you still remember Luna?"

His smile told Billy everything he needed to know.

"She is free from the curse? That fills me with great joy. Please, you must take me to them at once!"

Nodding, Sombra watched the biped raise his arm to his face before a curious sensation enveloped him. It felt like ants were crawling on his skin in droves, but he could see no such evidence of that. Eyes widening, he opened his mouth to scream as his body started to dissolve before his eyes…but any sound that might have issued was lost in the strangely crackling and popping sound filling his ears. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he waited for the feeling and noise to pass before charging his horn with magic. If they had transported him to their prisons, he would have to fight his way out to secure an audience with his daughters – provided they were still free and of sound minds. Sensing nothing around him that would threaten to cause him harm, he slowly cracked his eyes open and felt his mouth drop open in extreme shock.

He was in one of the halls of Canterlot Tower. He could recognise the ornate decorations on the ceiling and on the columns and smiled wistfully as he remembered hoof-crafting a few of the leaves on the very top of the column. Craning his head up, he chuckled as he could see his rather shoddy work and winced in reminiscence of the earful his wife had given him. There were new additions to the walls and windows, which was to be expected. The could see stained glass tapestries depicting the rise and banishment of the cursed Luna and her subsequent freeing by six figures that looked strangely like the ones in front of him. Of course, the only things that could have saved Luna were the Elements of Harmony and there was no reason to believe that these ponies had been the ones to do it. They had strength in unity, yes, but the Elements of Harmony would never allow themselves to be wielded by those whose destiny had yet to show itself.

The metallic boxes and screens hanging from the ceiling were new additions and he had to compliment whoever had designed them. He wasn't sure what the large and empty space at the head of the hall had once been used for, but he was willing to bet that it had been of use once upon a time. He saw a purple and green baby Dragon working at one of the boxes and wondered if Draconis had finally been overtaken. Nodding absently, his eyes travelled over the stained glass windows once more and absorbed the information and history that he had missed out on. One and a half thousand years was a long time to be away from his kingdom but it had been well worth it. However, he didn't know when he would be called back and that thought sent uneasy shudders down his spine.

Pushing them away for the time being, his eyes turned to the two other figures in the room. They were both Alicorns: one white and one dark blue with the twin Cutie Marks of the sun and moon respectively. Their manes flowed as if caught in an unfelt breeze and the aura of unrestrained power around them was almost palatable. For a second, his vision blurred and he saw two small foals in front of him, nestled together as they slept. It seemed that she had done well in his absence and accepted help of those around her. He had seen other versions of her throughout his journeys and had seen other places where the hatred, bitterness and darkness had overcome her and twisted her into a cruel and ruthless tyrant. He stepped towards them slowly, ducking his head in uncertainty. After all, he had not seen them in so long. What if they…?

"Father? It cannot be you…"

As the melodious tone reached his ears, he felt tears spring to his eyes. Nodding slowly, he waited for the shouts and raving to begin. The questions about where he left and what those beings were didn't come and he suddenly found himself literally sandwiched between two overjoyed Alicorns. Their wings were outstretched and their front legs were enclosing him in a rather tight hug. He craned his head to look at them and felt tears run down his cheeks, carefully making sure that they didn't hurt themselves on his armour. he swallowed hard and spoke in a voice that was choked with emotion.

"My daughters. Celestia and Luna…"

Billy nodded once at the reunion and silently willed himself to stand down. King Sombra was back and he was the father of both Celestia and Luna, which was rather mind-boggling as the two Princesses had stated at various times that they had 'come into being', which suggested they had popped out of the ether. He didn't know how a father added to the equation, but knew that the reunited family needed some time to catch up and talk about everything that had happened. Plus, he needed to run maintenance on the Zords to see what being encased in cake batter had done to the joints. He looked to the Pink Ranger and wondered if she would like the job of eating any scraps of pudding that were stuck between the joints. Pinkie sure had a stomach that had rivalled Rocky's sometimes. Smiling to himself at the memories of his friends, he turned to the others and spoke in a fairly quiet voice to not disturb the reunion happening behind him.

"Come on guys; let them have their little reunion alone."

At his words, the sextet and Spike nodded and prepared to file out. Billy scanned the room, looking for where the Cutie Mark Crusaders may have gone to. He certainly didn't want them to gallop into the room and disturb the family meeting and he doubted King Sombra would want that as well. He shook his head slightly and wondered how the ruling demographic would change now that he was back. Would he take over from Princess Celestia and how would that be announced to all of Equestria? He would need to be briefed about the Rangers and their enemies eventually but, as he had seen them in action, Billy didn't think Sombra needed to know just yet. The group had barely taken two steps when Sombra's deep voice stopped them.

"No, please stay. This information I bring is of great importance to you as well. I will not ask for introductions as there is little time to spare."

Turning around, Twilight saw that the father of Princess Celestia had separated himself from his daughters. Seeing him next to the two Alicorns felt right in some indescribable way. She wondered what information he would have for them and if it would be any use. She had seen the way he had stiffened when hearing Discord's name and wondered what connection he had with the pony that had been terrorising them. If it was a weak point, that information would be sorely needed in the battle as they seriously couldn't always rely on Weihan and his Rangers to save the day. On the other hoof, they had done rather well in the last few battles but she had a strange feeling Night Shade had yet to show his full hand.

"There is something you should know about the one who calls himself Discord."

_Now_ his curiousity was piqued. How could King Sombra know of Discord when he had been absent for Celestia-knew how long? Billy kept his mind on his Element Blade Blaster just in case the situation turned into a well-devised trap from Discord. The slight stiffening at the mention earlier had probably been some sort of primer that had been tripped…and if it was a suicide bomber, then Billy had invited it straight into their home base. He subtly shifted his body into a position where he could either throw himself on top of Sombra or push the Rangers away from it…whichever one would come first. Hell, he could probably absorb the excess energy via his Ranger suit if it came down to it. He would need to expel the energy soon after, but he guessed he could teleport to one of the Training Rooms for that. Sombra licked his lips in thought and spoke in a halting tone.

"It is…something that I should have told you before I left, but I thought him dead and buried."

He paused once more and swallowed hard. How would his daughters react to this information? A pact had been made for them never to speak of it but when he had received word that a humanoid pony had been sighted in the area left behind…well; all bets were off the table. Starburst, bless her, had informed him that their children must be told of their dark secret to ensure that they went into battle with their eyes wide open. He had also heard reports of Rangers in the area, information that had unnerved his travelling companions greatly. He had all but volunteered to be the one to journey back to his homeland and see what was really going on. They had decked him out in their Ancient Battle Armour and had given him a rudimentary map of the area and the changes in topography. To stumble across a battle between two giants had not been on the agenda, but it seemed fate worked in mysterious ways. Swallowing again, he opened his mouth to speak the words that would change their lives forever.

"Discord…"

His throat closed up and he coughed hard to force the air into his lungs. He needed to tell them, fate be damned.

"He is your brother."

TBC…


	30. One Side

Chapter 30: One Side

"Who is this new player on my board?"

Night Shade squinted at the images on the screen. The strange black unicorn exuded a power he had not felt since he had been in the presence of Dark Spectre all those years ago, both warning and inviting at once. If he had to liken it to something, it would have to be compared to the force-fields rumoured to exist near the Zeo Crystal. Of course, he was basing that judgement after seeing what they had done to Zedd and the fables that surrounded them. Some of his memories were slowly bubbling to the surface as he had seen flashes of other Rangers clad in similar armour of the Orange Ranger. As the last monster he remembered actually sending down was Apollonia, it seemed his memory had a way to go before he could remember everything. Shaking his head, he turned to look at his former 'boss'. Discord had been walking to the first of his seven three-hour baths but had looked at the screen to see the bolt of supreme magic destroy the monster. His eyes had narrowed into thin slits and from his throat issues a harsh and rasping breathing…almost as if he was trying to contain his anger and fury from seeing the unicorn on the screen.

"Discord…do you know who this unicorn is?"

Discord wrenched his eyes from the still image at the sound of Night Shade's voice. He could still taste the date pudding on his lips and knew if he didn't act soon, some parts of him would always smell…off, but he didn't care. The one person he had sworn to himself to personally kill was within reach and he would not be swayed by the need for personal hygiene to let it slip from his hands. Nodding once, he pursed his lips together and spoke in a thin and tight voice.

"My Lord, I…yes. He is a face from my past that I wished to never see again. He was, is, a very powerful magic user and can easily strengthen the powers of the Rangers. His name is Sombra and I once had the misfortune to know him as my father."

The silence that followed his statement was heavy and stuck to the open air like the slowly hardening batter on his fur. Growling under his breath at the emotions churned up by the image, he began pacing around the Command Room. The Trotters shrank away from the odour of the batter and he could see Gilda pulling out a notepad of sorts. Where he would be sending the recipe to, he had no idea as her father was more than likely too injured to cook. A part of him hoped she wouldn't begin cooking her father's creations as he didn't want the Rangers to follow their noses to find their base but dismissed it as Night Shade's problem. Swallowing down his uncertainty, he forced himself to bring up the memories from the deep and dark recesses of his mind. He could almost hear his screams as his flesh was continually poked and prodded.

"He was a cruel and vicious father who only cared for the daughters he would 'someday' bring into the world. I was nothing more than a failed experiment to him and he delighted in finding new ways to torture me."

The memories washed over his mind in waves, bringing to the front of his mind the anger and hatred he had harboured for the centuries. In one memory, he could see his father using magic to probe his insides and take down notes. The sickness in his body and mind was all a lie concocted by him to have an excuse to pry inside and see what made him tick. And yet, amidst all the chaos, there were a few memories in his mind where things were slightly warmer and he could feel things that felt like love. He remembered hanging tightly to those memories in the long and cold nights sequestered away from the rest of the world…before he had been forced to push them aside when the void of hunger crept up.

"If you would ask him…he would describe me as flawed; a being only created to test the limits of his union with my mother, Queen Starburst. In contrast, my mother took several steps to protect me from his experiments. She was the one that pushed for me to leave our dwelling and live in a cave on the fringes of the Arctic Waste. She left me a note saying that I needed to save my energy for the right moment when I was to be reunited with him once again."

Actually, if he was entirely honest with himself and his memories, he wasn't sure that note had been left for him. It had been in the flowing script of his mother and that was the only thing he could be absolutely positive of. He hadn't been aware of any other ponies around him that could have received the note so…he shook his head. He was wool-gathering and needed to keep his focus on the target. An image appeared in his mind's eye of power erupting from his hooves and horn, frying those around him but it was probably an image that had been placed in his memory by his father.

He closed his mouth and remembered the nights in the cave. His anger and rage had kept him warm and he had drawn intricate patterns on the walls with his blood, diagrams if his plans to cut his father down where he stood. He hadn't really given much thought to the later rumours that his 'parents' had left Equestria as they would be back to check on their spawn. Discord balled his hands into fists and squinted at the bony digits. Everything that had befallen him had been the by-product of his father and the torture he had been subject to. Summoning the Dark Crystal to him, he stared into its reflective surface and silently wondered if his new power would be able to help him strike his father down. Snorting once more, he pulled out his xiphos and pushed power into the blade, making it crackle with dark purple bolts. He dropped his tone into a low and dangerous snarl.

"I never heard from her after that. Two hundred years later and I felt the world ripple as two Alicorns were pushed into existence by the twisted forces of my father. He was the one who erased all knowledge of my existence from the archives and forced me into my early life of begging and stealing. Still, I should at least thank him for my abilities."

He concentrated on the small fragment of magic that was inside him and smiled darkly as it pulsed in return. Zedd hadn't totally robbed him of his magic as to do so would have required killing him outright. His battles with the various Rangers had reawakened the 'backup' magic gland that all unicorns possessed and his joining with the Dark Ultra Crystal had strengthened it. Well, he hoped that was the case anyway as that would easily explain his earlier battle with the Purple Ranger that seemed to stretch on for a long while.

"The power to control both minds and perception of time was a boon to me as it allowed me to spread my influence far and wide. I began building up my power bit by bit and felt that I had a sizeable force to confront my so-called sisters. What a shock it was to learn that one of them had fallen to Evil and that she had been banished before I could recruit her. I attacked her soon after the banishment…and lost. It was in the heat of the battle in which three of my strongest unicorns cast their transformative spells on me, turning me into what you see now. After my defeat, I fled Canterlot and began quietly building up my forces once more."

He shook his head, noticing somewhat late that he had lost his original point. Sheathing his xiphos behind his back, he turned to the still image of his father once more and chuckled as he imagined the pony writhing under him as his life ebbed away. For a delicious bit of irony, he would see if Sombra's death could mirror the savage injury the Green Ranger's sister had during the very first attack. Demoralising the Rangers and the Princesses that were his sisters in one blow would be the beginning of the end of Equestria. He would need to train hard to catch his ever-watchful father unawares and he would have to strike soon, lest his 'dear old dad' vanish from the planet once again.

"But that is neither here nor there. If my father is within my grasp, I will do whatever I must to ensure that his reign of terror is put to a swift and brutal end."

He was suddenly made aware of a pervasive smell that wafted from him, a heady mix of sweat, sugar and spices. Dropping his arms, he turned to give a rather sheepish look to Night Shade and the others who were trying desperately to hold their breaths.

"…maybe I should have a bath first."

TBC…

AN: Light-hearted chapter ending…which is a first for this story. Don't worry, it'll get darker when the other side is revealed. And 50K words! Finally...


	31. Eyes of Truth

Chapter 31: Eyes of Truth

"We have a brother?"

Princess Celestia felt the words drop out of her mouth as her mind struggled to process the information. Looking at her sister, she could see that Luna was having an equally hard time wrapping her mind around a new family member. She supposed her sister would be having an easier time than her as she had been ensconced within the Moon for a thousand years and didn't really remember much as Nightmare Moon anyway. She gazed at her father, hoping to find some lie in his eyes, although she tried to ignore how distasteful that would be. Memories pushed to the back of her mind were seeping through her defences and things she had questioned were starting to make sense now. Sombra nodded once and looked sorrowfully at his daughters.

"Yes. I am sorry you're learning about it now. This is a painful subject for me as well…"

Celestia shook her head and pawed at the ground with her front hooves. Her tail flicked in confusion and she fought against the urge to begin pacing. She knew that the Rangers, Spike and Billy were wishing they were anywhere else and she was thanking herself that she had sent the Cutie Mark Crusaders back to Ponyville after the Zords had been dispatched. Their young minds wouldn't be able to handle the changes occurring. She didn't know if her own mind would be able to keep up. Her mouth opened and she began to mumble to herself before directing her tirade at her father.

"Discord? It cannot be yet; there was always something with him that I could never put my hoof on. His first attack seemed to be akin to a foal throwing a tantrum rather than anything else. Why father? Why did you not tell us about him?"

Sombra shook his head slowly and allowed his armour to dissolve off his body. He was aware of the gasps of surprise from the Powered Warriors near him but chose not to react to it. They would be getting their explanations soon enough and he was sure the one in the dark blue would be most interested in his words. Sighing, he closed his eyes and allowed the memories of the distant past to swarm over his conscious mind. This would be a hard journey for all involved but they would need to know the full story to be able to continue on the path fate had placed them on.

"I thought him to be dead. I suppose I should start at the beginning for everypony's sake. My dear daughters, Celestia and Luna, you are the only true Alicorns the world has, bestowed upon me and your mother by the Power of the Grids."

"Wait – you know about the Grid? And there's more than one out there?"

He looked at the biped and nodded once. Now that they were away from the swirling eddies of energy prevalent in all battle scenes, he could easily hone in on the energy signature radiated by him. It was one of the six his companions had sealed away and he wondered how much grief the young one in front of him had to endure before his prophesised crossing. Information hidden behind dark barriers in his mind rushed into his knowledge as the barriers fell and he wondered how much other information they had placed into their minds. He supposed he could ask both Starburst and the Captain, but his wife had been notoriously silent on the information since witnessing the fall of Luna.

"Yes. And to answer your earlier question, my travelling compatriots know of your Power very well. You could say that they were the ones who placed it in the Monolith."

Billy's eyes all but bulged out of their sockets. He remembered both Ninjor and Dulcea briefing him on the ancient Ninjetti Warriors years beforehand, but he had dismissed the tale then as a flight of fancy. Of course, he knew Lokar was still 'kicking' around, in the extremely loosest sense of the phrase and parts of the story gelled with what he had seen…such as Lokar being a floating head. However, the mere thought of Lokar's discarded body being an Interdimensional vessel that could be used to travel to other planes had been too fanciful for his scientific mind. Billy wished he had taken the story seriously, but it was too late for regrets now.

"The Ancient Ninjetti…how?"

Sombra help up his front right hoof and sighed. It was clear that the biped knew of the Ancient Ninjetti – either through story or from one of the few Ninjetti that they had left behind in their home dimension. There was another power that held a familiar signature around both the biped and the purple unicorn that was brimming with untapped magic potential. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn the Sphere of Midnight and the Dragonfire Gem had chosen their Bearers. If the biped held the power of the Ninjetti, there would be no need for such a drastic action to have taken place unless…

No, that wasn't possible. From what the Ancients had told him, the only supposed 'weak link' would be the material used for the power transformer – more commonly known as the 'Coin'. The seam of gold running along a place called the 'Desert of Despair' was said to be the strongest possible material since the collapse of something called 'Project Ultra'. It was a shame that project had failed as the possibilities of tapping into a wealth of Power were almost too great for him to comprehend. He had expressed a wish to see the warriors it would have produced in action, just once, but had been met with an extremely strange and cryptic answer that raised more and more questions. However, if he wanted to take the words of the Elder as truth, he would be seeing them in a few days. Unfortunately, he would more than likely be jetting away from this plane and digging through the archives to see what they needed in the so-called 'Monster World'.

"I will get to that later. The first thing you should know was that Discord was born Harmonium and was tasked with bringing harmony to the lands. This was during the height of the Great Wars, when all of Equestria was fighting to see who would rule the world. His birth was a difficult one for my wife, Starburst, and for a few moments it seemed as if he had died during the birth."

He closed his eyes as the feeling of pain and anguish rippled through him. Even though he knew that he was alive and 'well', he would almost never be the supposed saviour they had hoped. He shook his head to banish those thoughts and allowed a small mental chuckle. The true saviours of Equestria were more than likely the young ponies, biped and dragon his daughters had recruited. Seeing two of them in action was a treat and he wondered what seeing all of them would be like. With a somewhat heavy heart, he wrenched himself out of those optimistic thoughts and back into his tale. He did not know how his daughters would judge him and the actions he had taken but he had stood by them then and the passage of time hadn't deterred his determination one bit.

"He arrived in the dead of night, screaming and howling like a pony possessed. Starburst and I were relieved as we now had the means to unite the world under one banner. Yet, it was ultimately all for nothing as the time Harmonium had spent in the void of death had changed his mind irreversibly."

He started pacing as he spoke and could hear the stifled giggles of the pink pony, not due to his words but his actions. He wondered if his daughters had acted this way in the past, pacing to calm themselves during what could be seen by most as a boring and long-winded speech. A small smile flickered over his lips for a split second as he looked up at the ceiling, noticing for the first time the other decorations that had been carved into the stone. His eyes widened the barest hint as he could see five other extremely familiar animals carved in positions of attack…yet, they wouldn't be the other Ninjetti that had been spoken of. He didn't really understand the significance of the swirling design or the crystal that seemed to be shaped like a stylised lightning bolt; yet, he had a feeling that everything would be revealed to him. Trying to ignore the irony in that thought, he retuned to his musings on the past and his actions.

"I must have spent years trying to find a way to fix his mind, years spent studying through the books and comparing the scribblings to the symptoms my son was displaying. I…also used my magic to see his mind in a vain attempt to fix him. I fear, now, that I may have done more harm than good, but I was so consumed with the thought that I could somehow help him that…"

As her father trailed his sentence off, Celestia swallowed back the bile creeping up her throat. Using magic to peer into another's mind would be akin to torture and would cause the receiver unimaginable pain. Yet, if the receiver was already mentally unstable…she shook her head slowly. Mental illness or not, there was never a reason to condone torture even in the laws she had placed on the land. As she opened her mouth to chastise her father for his rash actions, she paused and considered the times in which the actions had taken place. To do such a thing in a time of war and great stress, her father must have exhausted almost all of the options available to him to use such barbaric methods.

"Father, I…did Mother ever know what you were doing?"

At his nod, Celestia's stomach dropped and her throat tightened.

"Yes, she knew and supported what I was doing. She even helped on a few occasions as her curiousity outweighed her maternal instinct. At the time, we didn't think what we were doing was cruel or unjust in any way but with the benefit of hindsight…"

He let out a harsh bark of laughter and shook his head, tears starting to fall from his eyes. He stamped the ground with his hooves in anger and whipped his tail back and forth until he calmed himself down. Starburst was never one for magical talents, despite being a unicorn herself, but she had a strange knack for soothing the 'victim' and allowing deeper penetration behind whatever defences may have been thrown up.

"Harmonium suffered greatly under his delusions. He began ordering us and those around him to call him Discord and we would sometimes catch him talking to himself. His magic abilities were also a problem to those around us as we could never be too sure if our actions were our own. One day, when I was certain I was close to breaking his mind free of its madness, he escaped. All I found of him was a note that held words that looked like Starburst's writing…yet had hallmarks of a sloppy forgery."

Celestia felt her stomach loosen as she shook her head, her voice low and soft.

"I never knew…what was on the note?"

"It was a message telling him to go to the Arctic Wastes and to build his power up. Yet, his escape happened a few days after I had accidentally broken through one of his magic reservoirs; specifically the limiter."

Sombra closed his eyes as he recalled that day. Discord's magic had gone completely out of control and was liberally spraying out of his horn and hooves. Several good ponies had been flash-fried within seconds and he had been forced to knock his son unconscious to stop the senseless slaughter. He could still hear the ear-splitting screams of those unfortunate enough to not die within an instant as their internal organs literally sizzled in the heat. He had questioned his actions before but after that incident he had vowed never to use his son or anypony else as a guinea pig. It was too bad that he had never properly apologised to his son for all he had been put through; yet, in Discord's madness, such an apology wouldn't have been taken well. Opening his eyes, he looked at his daughters and the others in the room and shook his head. His voice was low and heavy with sorrow.

"You don't need to know the details. We spent months searching for him in the Wastes, during lulls in the fighting…but it seemed he had perished on his journey. The Kingdom was cast into a deep period of mourning for one hundred years. One day after the mourning had ended; the Grids spoke to us and said we needed to be ready to receive the true Alicorns and the ones who would usher in a new era of peace."

Luna shook her head in disbelief. All of the information had been locked in the mind of her father and she could see it was eating him up. The question to ask next was glaringly obvious and she tried to keep any harshness out of her voice.

"There's nothing in the records about any of this. Father, if you knew…why did you not tell anyone?"

Sombra looked at his younger daughter quizzically. While it wasn't public knowledge, the records had been kept for each step of the journey in accordance with the laws he had written pertaining to medical testing and experimentation. Barring an incident, the records should still be there in the public vaults. All it would take is for a curious pony wanting to learn more about Discord and the Great Wars for the truth to be revealed. It would surely cause a stir, yet there wasn't a pony alive who could remember the old Kingdom.

"Everything was in the records, sealed deep below Canterlot Tower. Although we agreed never to speak of what had happened, the information was available for anypony to view. I honestly thought him dead until I saw him on the battlefield. He knows I am here and in his warped mind, he sees me as the enemy and will stop at nothing to kill me."

Having heard enough, Billy stepped forward. He was extremely curious to learn where King Sombra had been for the past thousand-or-so years and the only way any answers were going to come out was if he was protected. Sharing a quick glance with Twilight, he knew that the Purple Ranger had thought of the same idea and, this time, was yielding the 'floor' to him. Discord was not a warrior to be taken lightly and they needed to prepare themselves for an inevitable assault.

"That won't happen, I can assure you. You will be protected."

He needed the information about the Ancient Ninjetti but he knew that protecting any and all life came first. If things became too tough for them, the Ultra Rangers were a call away…although he knew that they would be a last resort. Pushing down the uneasy feeling that was beginning to grow in his gut, he nodded once at the unicorn King.

"Let's do it."

TBC…


	32. Lifting the Veil

Chapter 32: Lifting the Veil

Night Shade dreamt.

His dreams were mixed with strange images he couldn't identify, although they felt extremely familiar to him. Flashes of colour were mixed with fire and lasers rained from overhead. It was like walking in a war zone…yet he was unscathed. He could see the faces of the creatures he had sent down to battle the Orange Ranger: the Ogre, Apollonia and the strange Wolf Wraith…as well as the Golems and Fiends that had been crushed and scattered against his blade. There were others as well that he couldn't place: a strange fusion of a horned creature and a humanoid, a towering saurian creature with glowing blue dorsal fins and – most disturbingly of all – a monster that looked to be decaying with every step. Those were the images that he knew he had seen in his gut, but didn't remember. He also could 'see' other images that were extremely vivid…such as seeing the legendary Dark Converter and its role in the downfall of his greatest monster.

The images were also dotted with flashes of things that he had done in and around Canterlot while Discord had ruled. He remembered accidentally shattering the vials and feeling their inherent goodness seep into his body. That had set off a minor chain reaction that eventually culminated in the raging fire in the depths of the Palace. He had hoped that there weren't any important documents down there but, when asked, Discord had shrugged it off. The battle against Celestia's forces also featured prominently as he could see various ponies and Changelings rushing toward him…only to meet a messy end at his magic. However, he had been steadily pushed back from the outer walls and in to the Throne Room, where he had been sent back to his own dimension in his equine form. His follow-up research had informed him that his 'bath' in the magic from the Elements of Harmony had saved him from either total annihilation or imprisonment, yet they had forever changed his internal body chemistry. He had dropped that research path when the research pointed to him being able to slowly recover from any loss of power.

Night Shade turned in his sleep, his body changing back into his reptilian form as he awoke with a barely stifled scream. The last image he had seen had filled his heart with equal amounts of blind rage and crushing fear. It was the Orange Ranger, yet he was dressed in some sort of glowing armour that looked to be stronger than anything he had faced before. His claws ran over the scar on his chest and he shuddered lightly. Slipping out of his bed, he walked to a viewing port and looked out over the darkened lands. The past three or so days had been nothing short of an exercise in extreme patience. Discord had been holed up in one of the empty rooms and was training himself in both mind and body. This had come with the discovery that there were training facility-esque devices scattered in the various rooms such as training dummies, solid holo-projectors and automated turret systems. Unfortunately, it seemed as the latter devices were designed to run on the Main Power…which was still switched off. They had made do though; Psychocorn had cobbled together a solar reactor and a 'power vault'. That meant they had limited access to the communication system and surveillance network that had been set up. The discovery of both all but cemented the notion that they were living in one of the discarded bases of the Rangers; although the reason why they had abandoned it was still lost on everyone.

On the other hand, Tricksy was showing signs of being dangerously close to losing her hold on the monster army in her wand. He had seen her on several occasions with literal rivers of sweat dripping down her face as she concentrated on the wand. In some of these cases, he could also see the figures of the creatures in the crystal. He would attack Canterlot in the morning and reveal to the Rangers that he had reclaimed himself…even though there was still a good chunk of his memories missing. Now he knew why the feeling of loss had come when he had thought of Psychogre and he bowed his head in respect of his fallen warrior. The Ultra Rangers would pay dearly for his destruction with the spilt blood of their newest Rangers. The fact that there were new Rangers on the scene meant that Jabarkas, Twinlobe and whatever assets he had left were doing their jobs in keeping the Rangers on their toes. If he remembered correctly, he had set up around seventeen monsters that were encased in time-delayed release spells.

He paused in mid-thought. 'Monsters' wasn't a real accurate word to use as only a handful of them had solidly defined forms. The rest of them would have their forms based on what was around the spell. If it was something mundane like chains or vehicles, the monster would reflect that when the timer on the spell ran out. If it was something extremely off-the-wall like a prostitution ring…he shuddered at the monster that would create. One Lustor was enough for the timeline and another would break all known laws of decency anywhere. Shifting his focus off the monsters he had left behind, he concentrated on the plan of attack. What would need to happen for the Equestrian Rangers to lose their courage and will to fight? There was only one answer that was universal to all Rangers: Mass civilian casualties. He would unleash the monster army just outside the limits of the capital and watch the chaos unfold. Striding into Canterlot, he would reveal his true name to all and relish in the cowering that would take place. The Rangers would be frozen in place and would be easy pickings for him and the tide of monsters rampaging through the city.

After the attack, he would raid Canterlot Tower once more and parade the bodies of the Rangers to everypony. After that, he would truly be in charge of Equestria. The only hiccup in his plans was the Ultra Rangers and the three new Rangers that they had recruited. That wouldn't be a problem either as the Orange Ranger wouldn't want to leave the Earth unprotected…which meant he would be walking straight into his trap. Night Shade chuckled under his breath and then turned around to return to his bed.

Tomorrow would be his big debut.

TBC…


	33. Ragnarok

Chapter 33: Ragnarok

There was something in the air.

Sombra sniffed the air as the sweet scent filtered its way into his brain. It spoke to him of things that he had not tried since the last plane; sweetened cream dripping over light and fluffy pancakes mixed with either crushed or sliced strawberries. As he still remembered the first and last time his daughters had attempted to cook a meal for him with vivid detail, he knew that it was more than likely one of the 'Rangers' doing the cooking. After they had heard his tale of Discord, they had sprang into action like a well-oiled machine and had done their very best to keep him relaxed over the course of the past few days. His mind was still reeling over the events that Celestia and Luna had informed him about. Never in his nightmares had he wished the attacks of monsters on the rule of his daughters but it seemed, despite the events, they had done admirably. He had sat open-mouthed as he saw the destruction wreaked by the fish monster's first attack and had gasped as he had seen a Power Ranger in action. They had explained the science behind the Powers and had told him of their first meetings with the biped, himself a Ranger from another dimension.

His jaw had unhinged at the recordings of the battles, the introduction of the Zords and the re-emergence of Discord. Celestia had then paused the recording and told him about what had happened during his attacks and subsequent banishment, sparing no details. He wept as he heard of the almost senseless sacrifice of Shining Light and of Bright Prospect's turning away from his duties. He supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised that the pale purple unicorn would seek out his son as his sister had been fried by a wayward bolt. He had even seen the massive Zords as the biped did maintenance on them with the help of the Pink Ranger. In return, he had told Billy everything he knew regarding the Ancient Ninjetti that he was travelling with and had glossed over most of the details of his travels. It was during this session in which he had received the call that the Ancients would be returning for him in three weeks. What had started as a quick in and out flash visit was now turning into a long holiday. He supposed it was for the best as they had informed him that the Monster World visit would be happening after they picked him up.

Rising from his bed, he trotted to one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows in his room and looked out at the bustling capital. Canterlot had changed greatly since his last visit, not just the monster shelters and watchtowers but the general atmosphere. While everypony was still exceedingly polite to each other, there was a faint…odour…of snobbery and 'upper class' that made him want to gag. It was almost as if all of the snobbery he had worked so hard to scrub out of Canterlot had retuned with a vengeance and taken up permanent residence. Even the Green Ranger had been shocked and surprised when he had told her that Canterlot had once been called the 'Middle Class Wonderland' of Equestria. He rolled his eyes and slipped on the harness that would allow him to summon his Battle Armour at a moment's notice.

Opening the slightly ajar door to the hall, he slowly walked down the long hall into one of the rooms near the cooking area. The Pink Ranger had assured him that between her and the Red Ranger, there was nothing that couldn't be cooked and if there was something that wasn't covered by their expertise…well; they would ask Billy or Spike to cook. So far, though, they hadn't needed to ask for his help…something which he was sure the human was thankful for. He was running the Rangers through every training simulation he could think of in an attempt to counter-act whatever Discord would be throwing at them. He had even been invited to participate in the sessions, but he had declined after seeing how brutal they could get. Even with his Battle Armour at full cover, he doubted he would be able to last long and it was a wonder that his daughters could last in the battle as long as they did. Stepping into the cooking area, he heard the high voice of the Pink Ranger greeting him.

"Good morning, King Sombra! How much cream and syrup do you like on your pancakes?"

He smiled as he saw the barely imperceptible twitch in her body as she fought with her instinct to bow. After the second instance of spontaneous bowing, he had decreed that everyone act as normal as they could around him. He wasn't going to take over the rule of his daughter anytime soon, if ever, and he knew that the planet would be in the good hooves of the Rangers anyway. A new ruler without ample warning would incite anarchy in the streets. He had seen that happen too many times over the years for it not to surprise him anymore. Nodding in response to the Pink Ranger, he looked over to the sprawling oak table that was laden with all manner of breakfast items. On the other side of the veritable mountain, he could see his daughters imbibing in a plain stack of pancakes with very little topping. Rolling his eyes at their so-called 'healthy eating', he moved to sit next to them and answered back.

"Quite a lot, though it would seem that my daughters do not share my sweet tooth."

Luna giggled behind her hoof and felt as if her eyes would drop out of her head as Pinkie set a plate towering with pancakes, cream and syrup in front of her father. She could see Sombra looking at the plate, as if judging where to attack it from first before several pieces of cutlery began levitating. As the knives, forks, spoons and assorted sundry items began to slowly whirl around the veritable mountain of breakfast, her father nodded to the Pink Ranger as if satisfied with her cooking. As she watched, a carefully sculpted cube dripping with sweet cream, syrup and other sugary treats floated from within the metal maelstrom and into his open mouth. Pinkie could have squealed in joy at the look on his face, as she had never seen anyone react that way before! It was almost as if he hadn't tasted anything sweet in thousands of years…which was actually true if she believed the things the Princesses had told them. As she scampered off to the kitchen to make sure the batches for the others didn't burn, she heard Princess Celestia's voice

"Father, how was your sleep?"

He paused in mid-swallow and thought about the question. Allowing a small smile to creep over his muzzle, he stretched his neck up to look at the mountain of sweetness and began to gently massage the sides of his jaw. He didn't know why, but there was something else in the air that wasn't the sweet smell of sugar and flour. That would mean that the mountain of sugar in front of him would have to vanish very quickly and he couldn't really ask the Pink Ranger to keep it in storage for him.

"Restful. I haven't slept that soundly for a very long while…although you do get used to the cots."

Celestia nodded, her mind still reeling from the information her father had shared about the living accommodations on the Interdimensional vessel. It seemed that the sleeping area was either a choice of fully-enclosed pods that were similar to the Healing Tank that had healed Billy all those years ago. The same Healing Tank, she thought to herself with a mental chuckle, which they had not needed to use since the Dimensional Doorway had been created. She supposed they could have dragged it out when Blackened Heart had attacked but she had been somewhat reeling from the identity revelation. The last she had heard, Billy had cannibalised it for spare parts to fix the wiring on the Wolf Shogunzord after the Zord battle with the Dark Rangers. Now that the Rangers were immortal, their immune and healing systems had been 'jacked up' higher than before, which meant that they healed from things around the speed in which a dip in the Healing Tank would have. She blinked once at the next words.

"What is on the agenda for today?"

She tapped a hoof on her chin as she tried to remember what was planned today. She had given many of the guard ponies orders to reinforce security at a few vital checkpoints leading in and out of Canterlot, so that was all right for now. None of the emergency alarms had been tripped and she had yet to inform Billy of the strange spike she had seen on one of the screens before she had come to breakfast. She doubted it was anything important as no alarms had gone off and the dimensional energy scanners hadn't been tripped.

"I have an appointment with Shining Armour, Twilight's brother. He is coming from the Crystal Empire in the West to discuss defence options in case the band of rogue Windigoes rampages through the city again. He can't always be asking for the help of the Rangers after all."

"Yes, they have always been a nuisance. A suggestion would be for a moat of warmth but that is more of a short-term solution. Perhaps you could ask Billy to erect a shield of sorts, though you may need to wait until the current period of crisis is over."

Luna nodded in agreement. She had asked Billy to create such a shield but until he was able to come up with a self-replenishing power source, they were stuck with using steam, wind or unicorn magic to start it up. She knee he had been toying with an idea to use the shattered remnants of his old Power Coin as a conductor or transformer but he still needed to iron out some of the details about that. Truthfully, it was making her head hurt trying to work out what went on in his mind. She saw her sister nod and she focused on the conversation at hoof.

"Yes, father, that is why Luna will be monitoring the area between Ponyville, Canterlot and the Crystal Empire for any sort of activity. If Discord even makes a peep, we will know."

"Yes, that is of some reassurance. What about...Celestia, are you all right?"

Princess Celestia opened her eyes to see her father staring at her in worry. A strange, almost crawling, feeling had rippled through her body in an instant. It told her that something, somewhere, wasn't the way it was supposed to be but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it was. A clatter of pans in the direction of the kitchen alerted her to the fact that whatever it was wasn't just her that had been affected and Luna wasn't looking too well either. Shaking her head slowly, she saw Billy slightly hunched over near the doorway with an expression of something akin to pain and confusion on his face. Composing himself, the Midnight Blue Ranger walked in as if nothing had happened, though Celestia could see his gaze was somewhat distracted.

"I…yes…just a strange feeling that something wasn't right somewhere. It is nothing. Billy, I trust you are prepared for the worst?"

The Midnight Blue Ranger looked up with a start and nodded distractedly. The strange feeling had vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving him perplexed at its source. The only feeling in the past that was remotely close to it was when Weihan had died for a few hours. On the other hand, the 'ripple' had come at night and he had awoken with a strange feeling of both strength and loss which had left him asking questions until the answer was revealed. He just hoped the answers were revealed soon as he didn't want to be distracted from the morning training session. Snagging one of the muffins from the counter, he looked around for the strange wall-eyed grey Pegasus that always seemed to pop out of nowhere before biting into it. Swallowing the crumbly cake, he ran his tongue over his teeth to pick out any loose crumbs before nodding.

"Yes, everything is up and running. Fully ready for anything that may happen. I don't want to be caught off-guard if something comes up that we can't handle, so the Dimensional Doorway is fully powered and dialled in."

Celestia breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. She didn't want to introduce her father to the Ultra Rangers or even the new Rangers she had seen, but if they had no other choice in the matter…well; then the decision would be made for her. She opened her mouth and hoped she didn't jinx them all.

"That is good to know. I doubt we will have any need to call them in as Discord will want to plan his attack. He wouldn't just up and attack without a solid goal in mind."

The sound of an explosion outside was muffled by the thick walls, but was still recognisable. Princess Celestia dropped her head onto her hooves as she heard Luna poorly stifle her chuckles. Billy shook his head in amusement and ran to one of the terminals in the far right wall. Connecting with the Communication Network, he summoned the other Rangers from the Training Room and attempted to establish connection with the surveillance network. The first few images received confused him greatly as they were of lush vegetation and steep cliffs. For some reason, the scenery seemed very familiar to him; although he was at a loss as to why some trees and rocks were generating that familiarity in him. A few more clicks brought up the familiar image of burning buildings, shattered stone and rampaging monsters. Through the flames, he could make out the form of the four Trotters, Discord and Tricksy, the latter surprising him as he didn't think she would show her face so soon after her attack had failed. The monsters attacking looked familiar as well and he spent a few moments trying to place them before Applejack's ears perked up in recognition.

"Ah don't believe it! Tricksy had more of those critters waiting in the wings?"

Billy shook his head and glanced over his shoulder to the two Alicorns and Sombra. Luna caught his look of urgency immediately and nodded in response before talking to her sister and father in a low voice. Knowing she would be going to the Main Chamber to monitor them, Billy opened his mouth…when a low, hissing voice echoed through the speakers. He felt another wave of familiarity wash over him but he couldn't say for sure what had triggered it.

"Come out foolish Rangers! Come and face your doom!"

The image on screen changed to show a curtain of black smoke. With a sudden gust of wind, it cleared to reveal a creature similar to Tricksy. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a hybrid of a crocodile and a dragon. Armoured scutes ran down its back and it wore a simple, yet elaborate, breastplate. A powerful tail swung lazily behind it with each step and it paused to draw out a long bladed sword with a slightly serrated edge. As if knowing they were watching, the newcomer threw back its head and barked harsh and screeching laughter that sent all of their senses on overdrive. Tearing his eyes from the image, he looked at the Rangers, hoping to see that they were all as confused as he was. However, two Rangers were looking at the new creature with a mixture of horror, dread and nervousness.

Rainbow Dash crept closer to the screen, her eyes not leaving the sight of the new reptile. There were new additions to the form like the scar that stretched from the middle of the chest to just above the left shoulder, but it was him all right. She swallowed hard, aware that the others were looking at them with burning curiousity in their eyes. A billion and one questions ran through her mind as she tried to process what she was seeing. Forcing air into her lungs, she choked out words strained with disbelief.

"That's…it can't be! AJ! It's…"

The Red Ranger nodded back, equally shocked. She had never thought she would set eyes on it again and was also wondering how the hay it could have crossed dimensions. Pushing those thoughts away, she clenched her teeth together and snorted in anger and confusion. Stamping the ground, her Element Morpher materialised on her neck as she growled out the creature's name…knowing that nothing was going to be the same anymore.

"Xonix."

TBC…

AN: If you didn't see this coming, you haven't been paying attention.


	34. Cast Aside

Chapter 34: Cast Aside

_Fifteen minutes earlier…_

He blinked in shock.

There was no way that he was seeing who he thought he was seeing…if that sentence ever made some degree of sense. He had been on the verge of starting his plan, over the protests of Discord, when one of the monitors had crackled to life unexpectedly. There had been a few moments of panic when he thought that the Rangers had finally realised someone was in one of their old bases before the static had cleared to reveal two figures that were extremely familiar to him – Jabarkas and Twinlobe. His top warrior had barely gotten a good look at him before he had uttered the three words that were threatening to smash a wrench into his plans.

"_We are coming"_

Since the words had been broadcast over the speakers, there was silence in the room. Not even the half-crazed murmurings of Tricksy could be heard as they waited for his response. Although it was a cliché, he released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and shook his head once. For a communication to be established, Jabarkas must have scrounged up some extremely high-tech object or – if the rumours were to be believed – enlisted the help of that weapon-smith on one of the asteroids on the fringes of the Universe. He opened his mouth and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

"No, stay on the other side and commence an attack. I authorise you to use a portion of the fleet to attack Earth."

The eyes of his top warriors on both sides of the screen widened as the words were absorbed into their minds. Discord's vendetta against his father was temporarily put on hold as he thought about what the words would mean. He knew, of course, that Night Shade had regained a portion of his memories and had been speaking to Tricksy about something relating to Zedd. That made him slightly glad he had moved the…object…from its former resting place to on that was much more secure. One of the other creatures on the screen, some strange humanoid reptile…thing with two large and prominent bulges on its head, held up a hand and opened its mouth to protest. Night Shade cut him off with a glare.

"Twinlobe, I do not wish to hear it. My mind is slowly recovering the memories I have lost. While I have no doubt that Jabarkas has been attacking in my absence, I want to prove to them that I am still a threat. Six cruisers and a fully armed battleship will be more than enough to handle the Rangers. I…"

He trailed off as a searing pain ripped through his mind. Backing away slightly from the screen, his front hooves twisted and changed back into fingers and claws as he squeezed his eyes shut, holding his head as fire ripped through his mind and body. In his minds eyes, he could see the wall in his mind holding back the memories he knew were there, the memories that would make him whole once more. Yet, he could sense unimaginable pain pulsing from behind the wall in a steady rhythm that seemed to drown everything else out. On some level, he could hear the concerned shouts of Jabarkas, Discord and even Gilda as they attempted to find the source of his pain but he blocked everything out. The wall was the only obstacle in his way.

Suddenly, the noise of the outside world fell away and was replaced with silence. Night Shade opened his eyes slowly to see that there was a void of swiftly swirling darkness around him. Images loomed out for the briefest of moments before sliding back seamlessly into the void, leaving nothing more than the barest hint of a ripple behind. It was slightly disconcerting to be in a place he didn't know, but he would persevere through the discontent running through his body. Focusing his power, he changed his arms and hands back into hooves and slowly walked in a straight line, the sounds of his hoof-steps the only thing he could hear.

_You should not be here_

The voice seemed to come out of everywhere and nowhere at once. He jumped slightly and began charging his horn with magic. He began to realise the only places he could possibly be were inside his mind or inside whatever dark Grid powered Discord's Ultra Crystal. He highly doubted the latter was even possible as he knew the Ultra Crystals generated their own Grid and didn't let anyone inside without the 'Crystal Ticket'. Snorting, he shook his head and fired off a bolt of sizzling energy. The attack parted the swirling void around him for the briefest of moments, allowing him to see into the 'real world' for a few moments. His body was lying on the ground, motionless, as Discord argued with Jabarkas over the cause of his collapse. He could even hear them if he concentrated hard enough…but the images and sounds were gone as quickly as they had come. Pawing at the ground, he lowered his head and prepared to attack whatever was speaking. No voice could possibly come from everywhere.

"Well, I am here and I am not leaving without my memories."

_That is an unwise decision for you are in the Glade of Reckoning. The things you see here will determine whether you are strong enough or not._

He turned to the left and flicked one of his ears. There was a slight pull coming from that direction and he took one step in that direction. Pausing, he nervously looked behind him and conjured up a shield that would protect him if he was attacked from behind. Content that he had covered all his bases, he slowly began walking in the direction where the voice had been the loudest. His plan to attack didn't hinge on his memories and he could possibly leave this place and allow what was lost to come back to him over time. On the other hoof – he had no idea when he started using that expression – if left alone, they would probably come at the least opportune moments. He didn't think he would be able to handle a recovery of his memories while under heavy attack.

"What is this 'Glade of Reckoning'? It is in my mind, right? I can easily pass through the traps and tricks."

_You are more than welcome to try…but you will find that things are not always what they seem._

Snorting at the less-than-helpful answer, he flicked his tail in annoyance and checked to see if his shield was still holding. Inhaling deeply, he lowered his head and began galloping to the source of the voice. He would proclaim to all that he was the one in charge of his own mind and of his destiny! He felt himself crashing through a barrier of sorts before sound exploded in his ears once more. Skidding to a stop, he looked around him and felt his jaw drop open. A city lay in ruins around him with its defenders lying defeated on the ground. He could see several were dead from gaping wounds and a disembodied head stared blankly up at a smoke choked sky. He knew where he was and angrily growled out at the voice…wherever it was.

"The conquest of Huran, I remember all of this already!"

He heard nothing and snarled in disgust. He didn't have time to go merrily stroll down memory lane and say hello to those he had crushed underfoot. He walked past the strange and almost surreal sight of seeing himself talking casually to a much younger Jabarkas, only pausing once to note how simplistic his approach had been. He chuckled mirthlessly as he recalled the moment of slight panic that had overtaken him as he was worried that the Huran wouldn't accept his offer. An attack on Earth would still have been possible, but it would be longer and much more drawn out than the fairly short battles he had initiated. At least with some of his fleet headed to Earth, there would be less opposition when he returned. Well; that was the plan anyway.

He felt another barrier break against his shielded skin and shivered lightly as a cool wind howled over his fur. He was back in the void once more…no he wasn't. There was the familiar crackling of fires around him and the moon peeked out from behind the clouds overhead. Craning his neck up, he strained his eyes to look for any recognisable landmarks. The other sounds in the air spoke of an attack taking place nearby and he cautiously crept toward the noise, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive voice. Instead, he saw the Orange Ranger attacking him rather sloppily. Instead of the calm and decisive moves he had become accustomed to seeing, the attacks were desperate moves, almost like those of a person unused to fighting under these conditions. A light went off in his mind as he realised what he was seeing.

"This is the first night attack. Dealing with the Power Rangers was child's play compared to the battle with the Orange Ranger."

Xonix clenched his teeth together at the sight of the mystery fireball exploding in his face. He had long since leant that the Orange Ranger could manipulate fire with his hands and had probably thrown it to see what it would do. Shaking his head, he lowered himself to the ground and ran past the scene. He could feel barriers breaking around him and felt the mental tremble as memories were pushed in from an outside source. Still, he carried on without looking around at his surroundings once. He knew every moment that he passed from the Countdown to seeing the Pony Rangers in action the first time, sending down Contender and the loss felt when Psychogre had met his end at the hands of a resurrected Orange Ranger. The last barrier was in front of him now and it stood as strong as ever, despite the slightly ominous looking cracks in its structure. Dropping his shield, the ponified Overlord slammed into the last barrier and stopped as he felt the first drops of rain on his fur.

He walked towards the sound of lapping waves when a bright flash drew his gaze to a battle scene. His eyes widened at the sight of the high-tech armour that was encasing the Orange Ranger and he swallowed as the memory clicked into place. For a split second, he felt whole…yet there was still some piece of the puzzle missing. He could see his fused form looking for a way out from the blasters pointed towards him and he sighed.

"I...this is…yes, I recall this moment."

_This is the memory that has been behind the wall. You have come this far but you must experience it once again._

Without warning, he found himself facing down the Battlized Orange Ranger's blade and braced himself as best as he could for the impact. The pain, while somewhat bearable the first time, was downright unbearable and it was all he could do to keep from screaming out as the energy from the Morphin and Ultra Grids rampaged through his system once more. There were words being said on the fringes of his memory, but he couldn't focus on them as the blade emerged from his back and blood began to run down the tattered skin and muscle. He felt himself fall backwards as the ground opened up to swallow him whole…

"My Lord, are you all right!"

Xonix pushed himself up off the ground and looked around, seeing nothing but the concerned faces of his followers. There was no void, no all-encompassing voice and no other strange barriers. His mind felt whole and his powers crackled over his hooves and horn as his body morphed back to his reptilian state. A wide grin split his snout in two and he summoned his reforged blade to his hands, making Discord take a nervous step back. His Master had recovered his memories and was more dangerous than before. Xonix looked at one of the screens that showed the idyllic sight of Canterlot and spoke in a low and dangerous voice.

"Let us go Ranger Hunting."

TBC…

AN: He's back! A while to go left before he goes back though.


	35. Rematch

Chapter 35: Rematch

It was a Mexican standoff.

On one side were the Rangers, staring at their enemies with nothing short of anger and slight confusion in their eyes. After Applejack had named the new arrival, there had been a very brief and almost comedic swapping of roles – with Rainbow Dash having to clamp her teeth down on Applejack's tail to prevent the Red Ranger from leaping headfirst into danger. Before _anything_ could be done, there was one thing that desperately needed to be done. Before morphing, they had called Princess Luna in the Main Chamber and asked her to contact the Ultra Rangers or whoever was in the Ultra Cavern. Billy had noticed the eyes of King Sombra widening very slightly at the name, but had dismissed it as something he would have to tell the unicorn about after the battle. If one looked closely at the Rangers, they would have seen the distinct metal spikes and crackling energy that signified all of the equine Rangers, including Rarity and Pinkie Pie, had summoned their Elemental Zeo Armour. Their Harmony Weapons had been integrated onto their armour in the places that were ideal for attacking. In the case of Fluttershy, her Tail Stinger was on a mechanised arm that split away from her tail. She could control it through subtle eye movements, but preferred to keep it on automatic control.

On the other side were Xonix, Discord, Gilda and Tricksy with the army of monsters that had come from the reptile's wand behind them. Uni-Golems, Golems and Fiends were fanned out around them in small batches, their teeth and claws dripping with venom or billowing smoke. The draconian Overlord smiled and tapped his blade on his armoured left shoulder. These Rangers would just be the warm-up act for the prize that he was hoping would arrive at any moment; the Ultra Rangers. Even if only one or two came through with the cursed spawn they had recruited, it would be worth it to see the life draining out of their bodies once more. So confident was he in his victory that he was willing to risk a Power Coma – three of the monsters had compressed Da'Lana sigils on them that would cause them to grow when they were destroyed. The only downside was that he would feel the effects of the Power drain immediately. He only hoped the Ultra Rangers would arrive before the first monster grew.

"What the Hay are you doin' here? Shouldn't you be across the Dimensional Divide?"

Applejack bristled with equal parts anger and fear. She remembered the power that had come from the sudden attack all those years ago, how his warrior had shielded him from harm after the spell or curse or whatever it was had been cast and how he delighted in causing the utmost pain and misery to the Rangers. Her Buckin' Cannon was primed and ready to fire at a moment's notice, yet some part of her needed to know where he had popped up from. It was almost as if…she shook her head slightly – as if willing that thought out of her mind. As if sensing her thoughts, the reptilian beast turned slowly and chuckled darkly.

"Ah, Red Ranger, so coarse in your tone. I have been here for the past few years; silently watching and waiting. Before that, I was here much longer ago and in another form. Perhaps your Princess of the Day will recognise me better like…this!"

Planting his blade into the ground, Xonix allowed his magic to course over him and change his body. His upright and bipedal stance lowered to the ground as his clawed hands became solid hooves. Short black fur sprouted from his body as he felt the slightly unpleasant feeling of his armoured scutes being pulled into his body. The feeling was extremely short lived as his yellow and white mane burst from the back of his head and neck. He blinked once, the reptilian eyes in his sockets changing hue from something that changed colours every few weeks to red and gold. As his snout retracted, he grimaced as the green and white twisted horn burst from between his eyes, the tip sparking with magical power as he 'lifted' his blade from the ground with a slight amount of effort. As his hooves turned their regular blue-purple colour, he chuckled once more at their body language and the extreme shock that was conveyed. Levitating the blade into the air, he reared up on his hind legs and kicked at the air. He could almost hear thunder in the distance, but he reckoned it was just a by-product of his still-changing internal structure.

"No way…I don't believe it!"

Twilight shook her head over and over as her mind tried to process what she had just seen. The strange dragon-thing that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were saying was Xonix, the arch-enemy of the Ultra Rangers, had transformed into the form of Night Shade, the unicorn that had usurped Zedd's position as the newest threat. She knew that the creature in front of them wouldn't turn tail and run after announcing himself as he had done the last time. The veritable army of monsters, creatures and foot soldiers made sure of that. From the tales Weihan had told them, she knew the only way to drive Xonix off was to decimate his monster army and land a hit or two on his body. Even with the Elemental Zeo Armour augmenting their Ranger suits and Pinkie's confection-based weaponry, she didn't think they could beat them without help. She heard Billy's bewildered voice as the genius connected the dots.

"Night Shade was Xonix? It all makes sense now…why would he reveal himself now?"

Xonix chuckled at the slightly familiar voice. He recalled hearing such a voice from the audio files recovered from the robotic Orange Psycho Ranger, realising he was looking at one of the dimensional counterparts of one Ranger. Shifting back to his normal form, biting back a groan of pain as his tail, mane and horn violently retracted, he plucked his blade from the air and pointed it at the Ranger line.

"Why now? Why not? I have reclaimed myself and you will be the first to fall before my strength. Now…die."

As the last syllable fell from his lips, the army surged to life and ran toward the Rangers. Much to their surprise, Discord, Gilda and Tricksy were hanging back and watching the monster tsunami surge towards them. Drawing in a shaky breath, the Purple Ranger looked around to her friends and nodded once. Making sure she could summon the Dragonfire Gem at a moment's notice, she dug her hooves into the ground and fired a warning shot into the crowd. Despite there not being a lot of power behind the blast, several monsters fell to the ground as fire erupted from them. Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, she swallowed as a reptilian creature with hollowed eyes came for her. She leapt out of the way and kicked back with her hind hooves, feeling the flesh and muscle of the Fiend buckle and split. Blaster fire from around her sounded as the Rangers crashed against the creatures around them.

Ducking into a tight roll, she fired another blast from her Magic Launchers at the Fiend, watching in satisfaction as if rippled and exploded under the onslaught. She barely had a moment of rest before one of Tricksy's beasts lunged at her from her left. Wincing as the claws raked across her armour, she didn't miss a beat as she fired another blast from her Magic Launchers. The fiery burst smacked against the chest of the creature and knocked it back into a group of its 'comrades'. As it didn't look like it would be getting up anytime soon, she took the brief respite to see how the others were doing. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were inseparable and were carving through the hordes of monsters and Golems ploughing their way, almost as if they had a goal in mind that was past the nuisance of the life-threatening danger in front of them.

Crouching to the ground, she leapt as high as she could, spraying lasers from her armour as she tried to work out where the Red and Blue Rangers were headed. The only thing she could see in front of them was more of the creatures that were practically crawling over each other to get to them. Landing on a Golem's head, she leapt away as the molten 'blood' seeped through the cracks in its skin and blasted a cluster of four monsters with another blast. Thanks to the meter in her HUD telling her how much power was being used, she knew that there was a very long time until she needed to give her Magic Launchers a rest, yet the power protecting the rest of her would need a short cool-off period. Sure, it would only be a few seconds, but she didn't know what would happen during those few seconds. Flashes of pink and green on the edge of her peripheral informed her that Rarity and Pinkie were blasting everything around them within a thirty hoof radius. Explosions blossomed everywhere as monsters died and Golems were bucked into walls.

Using a leaping Fiend as a springboard, Twilight launched herself into the air once more. She could see Fluttershy hovering above Billy and providing some air support as the Midnight Blue Ranger tore into the creatures around them with his Acceptance Lance. The Ranger had split the weapon into its halves and looked to be cleaving down many of the beasts without a second's hesitation. She shook her head as her Magic Launchers fired automatically, amazed that such little effort could be used to take down creatures that had seemed nigh invincible only a few weeks ago. However, the short moment of reflection cost her dearly.

Fireballs impacted her armour and blasted her out of the sky, her armour sparking madly as it tried to keep up with the damage. She slammed onto the ground hard, the impact knocking all of the wind from her lungs. Firing blindly into the crowd of creatures, she struggled to breathe as several monsters erupted in flame. Struggling to her feet, she leapt to one side to avoid a volley of slimy green globs that flew from the mouths of the Fiends. Shakily rising form a less-than-stellar landing, she could only watch in horror as whatever touched the green slime was eaten away within seconds. Firing another blast from her Magic Launchers, she began to realise that – without help – they would be overwhelmed within minutes. Blasting her way to where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were, she swore as a barrage of fireballs cut lightly glowing trenches into the ground in front of her. She turned back to retreat but was hit with a barrage of fireballs from the nearby Uni-Golems. She collapsed to the ground once more as her Elemental Zeo Armour shattered off her body, leaving her in her severely damaged Ranger suit. Over the din, she could hear Xonix's laugh.

"Yes, Rangers, now you will die!"

Suddenly, the sky split in two as a glowing vortex appeared. Twilight craned her head up to the light and wondered if she would be sucked up somewhere, when a rain of lasers erupted from it. The deadly energy rained down on the mass of monsters and destroyed many of the ones unlucky enough to be caught by even a glancing blow. After a while, the energy stopped and eight figures dropped from the sky. She saw darkness creeping over the edge of her vision but bit the inside of her mouth to stop from blacking out. Seven were clad in shinier versions of the Morphin Rangers' uniforms and studded with gems, while the one in Orange was literally a sight for sore eyes. As they landed on the ground, she saw a flash of light as weapons were drawn.

"That's as far as you go."

TBC…


	36. Simmering Rage

Chapter 36: Simmering Rage

He growled under his breath.

He could have kicked himself for not making the connection sooner but forced himself to drop the subject. There was nothing that could have been done even if he had known…yet; he felt as if he was responsible in some way. Looking at the battered forms of the Rangers in front of him, Weihan stopped to take stock of the strength of opposition they were up against. A flood of crocodilian monsters that was similar to the one that had been battling Billy's Zord, Discord in his Hellfire Armour, Gilda in…slightly better shape than the last few times she had been in battle, Tricksy in the back and the creature that, if he didn't know better, he would have sword he destroyed.

"Xonix."

The word felt foreign to him, even though he had spoke in many times over the past few weeks and years before. The creature still looked the same as the last time he had set eyes on him, although there was no giant blade piercing his body or rivulets of blood running over the scales. The newest feature on the Overlord was a warped and twisted scar that stretched over his torso and had probably formed after the jagged wound had healed. On the other hoof, the blade had literally run him through and he couldn't see a scar on his back. Shaking the thoughts away, he gripped his Sabre tighter as the reptilian alien's gaze swung toward him. He felt very glad that none of the others were with him as he was literally shaking in his boots. Not out of fear…but anticipation.

"Orange Ranger, I remember what you did to me. I will ensure that your visit will be as painful as possible."

Apparently galvanised by the words of their master, the monsters resumed attacking. The battlefield was filled with blasts, shouts and cries from the Rangers as they blasted their attackers left, right and centre. Weihan was aware of Liz, Bec and Jorja leaping into the fray to help the ponies and knew the other four Crystal Rangers were unsure as to what to do…even though their leader was clearly helping the pony Rangers. He didn't have time to hold their hand against the threats and sent a quick helmet message to Liz in the hopes that she would take charge of her team. Scanning his eyes over the battle, he saw the Ivory Tiger Ranger nod once and slowly make her way towards the unmoving quartet. Steeling himself, the Orange Ranger took a step towards the warlord and channelled fire into his weapon. As the flames erupted from the metal, he carefully unholstered his Raptor Laser and dropped it onto the ground, kicking it back towards the quartet of somewhat confused Crystal Rangers.

"I don't know how the hell you survived, but I swear to destroy you here and now."

Xonix laughed; a harsh sound that seemed almost mocking. The draconic being lifted his blade and walked to meet the Ranger that had bested him before. There was no doubt in his mind that the words of the Ranger were true, that he would someday meet his end staring into the expressionless helmet of the Ranger…but that day would be in the future and only after he had destroyed everything that the Ranger ever cared about. Breaking into a run, he held his blade above his head and roared as it swung down.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Ranger!"

Emma stared in shock as Weihan battled furiously against the reptilian beast that looked much different than the other creatures around them. She had used her Dragon Blade to personally cut down several of the monsters, yet there were more pouring out of nowhere and the Ranger in the dark blue uniform was openly gawking at her weapon. Phoebe and Tara were having slightly more luck than Daphne as they could easily pick out which targets were enemy hostiles. On the other hand, there were ponies in Ranger Armour galloping everywhere and _talking_ to each other! Unicorns and Pegasi darted through the crowd and she had caught a glimpse of a statue of a winged unicorn in the middle of a fountain of sorts. She shook her head in despair and opened her mouth to speak.

"What do we do? Which side do we help?"

Liz appeared next to her and the Asian girl barely stifled a scream. Rolling her eyes under her helmet, Liz scooped up the Raptor Laser from the ground and looked around for which Ranger needed the additional firepower. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still beating up on the Griffin in what was a clearly one-sided match. The look on the Griffin's face was enough to make her break down into giggles, but it was the wrong time and place for such a frivolous act. Rarity had her hooves dug into the ground and was blasting monsters away from the path that led to the Palace and, by extension, the Command Tower. Fluttershy and Billy were covering each other's sides as beasts exploded around them, yellow beams of energy lancing from Fluttershy's Tail Stinger. She had seen Billy stop fighting altogether and stare at Emma's weapon in deep shock, causing the Yellow Ranger to temporarily become overwhelmed.

The Ranger that she was the least worried about was Pinkie as the Pink Ranger was gleefully destroying everything around her with displays of firepower that made her brain start to hurt. Everything from liquid fire to egg white bullets came out of her Elemental Zeo Armour enhanced Boomer Blaster and every direct shot on a monster caused it to explode in a pillar of flames. A part of her hoped the cameras in the Command Tower were recording the battle as she would want to see exactly what the crazed sequence of attacks was…but the rest of her was content to let the Pink Ranger do her thing. She just hoped the off-white oil slick that had been blasted out was, in fact, oil and not something else. If it _was_ the something else, she didn't even want to know how Pinkie had come into contact with it. Catching the attention of the Purple Ranger who was engaged in hand-to-hoof combat with Discord, she spoke half to herself.

"Help the side that's getting their flanks kicked! Twilight, heads up!"

Flinging the Laser in the Unicorn's direction, she summoned the Ivory Spear and slammed it into the stomach of an approaching beast. The wounded monster fell back and exploded in a shower of sparks as a stream of blue-black bolts sliced the air above her head. Bec was covering them from any attacks as she fought the creatures around her. One of her Ice Pistols had its blade out and was slicing into the neck of a croc monster. Liz bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled to come up with a good name for them. She heard a dull crash from the direction of Applejack and Rainbow Dash and looked over to see the Blue Ranger posing somewhat triumphantly over the battered body of the humanoid Griffin. As Gilda's unconscious form teleported away in a flash of sparkles, the two mares looked at each other before splitting up – Applejack galloping towards the group and channelling energy into her hooves.

"But…what? How can you be so calm?"

Emma's voice sounded shrill to her ears as the pony in Red leapt over their heads, narrowly avoiding being struck by the energy blasts. Tackling one of the creatures to the ground, the Red Ranger reared into the air and slammed her front hooves onto the ground; the shockwave instantly destroying a good handful of the remaining beasts. A quick mental checklist told her that there were still a few more hundred beasts to go through…but they would prevail in the end. Rolling towards the group of stunned Rangers, AJ bumped her front left hoof to Liz's fist in greeting before turning to the Emerald Dragon Ranger.

"They didn't tell ya? They've helped out a few weeks ago."

Emma cast her mind back to talking to Weihan's duplicate a few weeks ago and listening to the 'explanation' for the absence of the Ultra Rangers. She also recalled her disbelief that there would be worlds and other dimensions out there that she couldn't see. However, having being pulled into a parallel plane of existence only a few hours ago, she knew that she was very naïve and innocent on a lot of things. That still didn't make what the pony was saying make any sense. It was almost like…

The ground exploded beneath them, sending them falling to the ground. Crawling to her feet, she could hear the heavily accented voice of the Red Ranger cutting through the fog in her mind.

"Yow! Look 'ere, we can stand round talking and getting shot up or we can save the explanations for later an'…whoa Nelly."

Looking in the direction of the Red Ranger, Emma felt her jaw drop as one of the explosions fell away to reveal a monster…apparently growing without help. There were no tendrils of energy running over it or even metal fragments from a detonated Growth Grenade; it was shooting up impossibly fast and, impossibly, pulled out a blade from nowhere. Tearing her eyes away from the sight, she could see the Purple, Blue and Green Rangers galloping towards them. Somehow, the surreal imagery made her want to slap herself in the face until the crazy went away. Skidding to a stop, Twilight looked up at the monster and then glanced at the Command Tower. She wouldn't let the Princesses or their father be hurt. She opened her mouth and began issuing orders.

"Rarity, you're with me. We'll go in the Unizord…and test it out. Liz, you divide the rest of your Rangers up to cover as much as you can. We won't be able to pry those two apart until one of them gives in but we can keep Princess Cel…I mean, everypony safe."

As the two Unicorns lifted their hooves into the air to summon their Zords, Applejack glanced in the direction of the Orange Ranger and Xonix. Metal clashed against metal and screeches rang through the air, but they only had eyes for each other. One fought for freedom and the safety of those that he loved and respected. He also would be fighting for the chance to destroy his nemesis once and for all, although Applejack doubted that outcome would occur. The other battled for supremacy above all beings and to rule the worlds with an iron fist. Xonix hadn't popped his wings out yet and Weihan hadn't pulled out the Assault Armour but the cowpony knew they had them in the wings. The ground quaked as the two Unicorn Zords raced to the scene and the Red Ranger mulled over Twilight's words as she blasted away several monsters.

She had caught her leader's slip of the tongue at who she was fighting to save…and it didn't surprise her one bit. Ever since the Princess had come to Ponyville to lift that damned 'Want it, Need it' spell, Twilight had been spending more and more time with Celestia. There had been a bit of a hurdle before in regards to the aging issue, but since Billy had practically confirmed that they were immortal as well…well; it wasn't much of an issue anymore. Pausing to catch her breath, the blonde pony looked to where the titans were fighting and narrowed her eyes slightly. Was it her imagination or was Xonix…lagging?

"Feeling tired there, Ranger? All the better for your destruction to come sooner!"

Weihan didn't say anything but poured more fire into the Sabre. He wasn't tiring, but if he had to say something, he would have bet that Xonix was. The alien wouldn't tire that easily unless something was draining his energy but, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was. There was no way that Xonix would want to risk lapsing into a Power Coma at the end of the attack, but there was definitely something off with his strikes. As the blades met once more, he carefully checked the subspace pocket for the item he had taken before the Dimensional Doorway had fully opened. He needed to wait for the perfect time to use it and turn the fight around in their favour. Shaking off the pain from a hit made in the mini-lapse of his concentration, Weihan felt a bead of sweat worm down his face.

This was going to be a long fight.

TBC…


	37. He Who Fights

Chapter 37: He Who Fights

An hour later and things had changed.

Two giant monsters towered above the weary Rangers, locked in combat with the Sparkling Unizord and the Wolf Shogunzord. The thousands of monsters that had swarmed through Canterlot like a plague of locusts had shrunk to more than a few hundred and there was a garbled report from the fringes of the battle that a monster had been prevented from growing thanks to an extremely charged up blast from one of the human Rangers. It wasn't as much as Applejack didn't believe it; she just wished the guards at the edge had gotten their information correct. A monster destroyed on the fringes of the battle had started to grow after it had exploded, but it had been destroyed by a wayward blast from the Unizord. Discord had left the battle soon after that, muttering something about conserving his remaining power and had taken Tricksy with him.

The Crystal Rangers were one of the only Rangers still fighting with the same energy and imaginative tactics as they had started with, whereas the rest of them were letting the monsters come to them. Shaking her head, Applejack lifted her head to the other Ranger who was fighting like his life depended on it: the Orange Ranger and his battle with Night Shade. Sometime during the growth of the second monster and the destruction of the third, Xonix had changed into a half reptile, half pony form that seemed to be slightly more powerful than his full dragon or pony forms. As it was, the Orange Ranger had been forced to call upon the Hellfire Armour just for the energy boost. Lazily blasting one of the remaining creatures, she settled back to watch the fight.

Weihan clenched his teeth together as the ground in front of him exploded in sparks. He had been barely aware of anything else going on around him since the battle had begun, yet he was all too aware of his flagging energy reserves. The Power from his Ultra Crystal wasn't the problem here as it would keep him safe from harm as long as the armour held out, the issue was with his own strength and since he had the 'brilliant' thought to skip out on breakfast in the morning…well; he was sorely regretting that decision now. The only things he was running on were 'fumes'…and the taunts by the creature in front of him.

"Is that all you've got? The years have not been kind to your skills!"

Ducking a slash from Xonix's blade, he wondered how a change to the features of the Overlord could somehow make him more menacing. By all accounts, a crocodile with hair sprouting from the back of its head, neck and tail should have left him wide open as he rolled on the ground laughing. However, the murderous look in Xonix's eyes was enough to flatten any feelings of mirth that were bubbling up. Blocking the blade with the Dragonbreath Blade, he thrust his Raptor Sabre towards the monstrosity, cutting deep into its side. Pushing more fire into the blade, he smiled under his helmet as the wound instantly – and painfully – cauterised. A small part of him recoiled at the amount of glee he was feeling while doing it, but it was swiftly beaten back by the rest of his mind. In any case, it was natural and normal to feel pleasure at beating the crap out someone who had made your life a living Hell for a few years…right? His voice sounded slightly alien to him.

"At least I'm doing better than you. Feeling a bit drained there?"

Xonix snarled and swung his tail up to the helmet of the Ranger. At least the meddlesome boy hadn't noticed his, rather obvious, earpiece. The same earpiece that was relaying information to him regarding the battle on the other side of the Dimensional Wall. All things considered, the Ultra Rangers were doing slightly better than he thought they would. Four out of six cruisers were destroyed and the remaining two were heavily damaged. The battleship had a few new dents in it, but they wouldn't be able to get through the Centaurus Shield without something of equal or greater strength. And with the Orange Ranger currently occupied with him, their chances would be extremely thin.

"What I have left is more than enough to defeat you!"

A large explosion sounded nearby and Xonix braced himself for the backlash. It didn't come as swiftly as the first monster that had been destroyed, but the after-effects came with more than double the force. His knees buckled slightly as all of his energy drained out within seconds, coming back literally drip by drip. His magic hold on his blade faltered for just a tiny second and he swore as a well-placed strike from the main blade of the Orange Ranger knocked it from his grasp. Shaking his head, he backed away and gathered his remaining magic to him. He would not fall to the Rangers, not here and not now. He saw the final giant beast topple and fall under an onslaught of light blue energy and cried out in agony as the second backlash wave brought him to his knees. The voice of the Orange Ranger sounded above him like the voice of Dark Spectre. There was no way he could stay the hand of the Orange Ranger as he was too consumed by his desire to kill. Wait…

"You're on your last legs now, Xonix. All you need is one slip-up before you face death once more."

Xonix snickered under his breath as a plan began to form. Yes, he could use that to buy time for himself to rest and heal. Of course, he would be sidelined with a blasted Power Coma but it would be worth it. And if the Trotters had done the job he had asked them to do during the battle…well; it would make things all the sweeter. Opening his snout, he injected as much irony in his voice as he could.

"Truly pathetic. Is this what you've become now? A person hell-bent on destroying a perceived enemy? Careful now, you're starting to become appealing to me as a general in my army."

As he had hoped, the words had the desired effect on the Ranger. He could imagine his face twisting in horror and anger, while some small part of his mind agreed with the words. As the Ranger dropped his weapons in denial, he began casting a recall spell that would take him back to his Lair. He just hoped he completed it before the Power Coma hit.

"What? I'm nothing like you or your monsters!"

"He who fights monsters must take care to ensure that he does not become a monster…one of your kind said that. Has the abyss stared back yet?"

Spell completed, Xonix held up his claws in mock surrender as the unseen energies flowed over him. He was just glad to be away from the battle before the Orange Ranger had summoned his Battlizer. Even though it had been two years, he still felt an irrational fear at seeing it. A quick glance at the left wrist of the Orange Ranger showed that his 'surrender' had come seconds before the Orange Ranger would have activated it. By now, the human inside would be doubting himself and second-guessing his motivations. He had seen it happen a thousand times in the past and had used that tactic to fully convert Jabarkas to his side. There was just one final nail that needed to be twisted…and he would take all the pleasure in the world to make it have the desired effect.

"Alas, this battle is not mine. I concede defeat. The battle is yours, as it was always. Your friends at home…not so lucky."

Weihan's eyes widened in shock as he heard the gasps of the others behind him, already regretting not leaving any sort of message before leaping through the portal. His mind threw off the thoughts with a violent shake. The other Rangers could easily take down anything that Xonix threw their way. After all, they could call upon the other Rangers around the globe and Universe for help. Yet, they needed his leadership to stay strong when things reached their lowest point. On the other hand, they had led themselves rather well when he had died…but he had to save them from a rash and reckless suicide attack so there was that. Stepping back, he shook himself once more and forced himself to focus through his internal doubts.

His friends were Ultra Rangers and they had cultivated a support system of Rangers all over the world that could come to them at a moment's notice. They wouldn't be alone against whatever monster or destructive force Jabarkas had sent on Xonix's orders. As the feeling begun to wrap around him, a face flashed up in his mind's eye. Bree would be in the firing line. She was unarmed, unarmoured and would be an easy target, even with her communicator giving her a quick exit. If anything happened to her, AJ would never want to reconcile in the future and…he shook his head. He had to focus on the present moment and not think about what was more than likely happening across the divide. Xonix, seemingly oblivious to his distress, continued on in an annoyingly calm voice that was laced with the barest hint of pain.

"I won't be surprised if there is nothing more than a crater where your home was. The portion of my fleet that was sent will be more than enough to destroy any resistance."

Calling on the full force of his magic, he thrust his hands out to the reptilian creature and screamed in anger, torrents of flame and fire bursting from his palms. Yet, the creature he hated with every fibre of his being was already gone, wrapped up in the tendrils of a recall spell before the first flames had reached his scales. As the Orange Ranger collapsed to his knees and screamed in frustration, the Yellow Ranger carefully fluttered to his side and, despite her fear at his outburst, placed her front left hoof on his shoulder. Breathing heavily, the Ranger felt his arm come up and rest on top of the Pegasus' hoof and he shook his head. His ears were still ringing with the last words of the draconian Overlord.

"You lose."

TBC…


	38. More Headaches

AN: More than likely this will be the last chapter of 2012! Posted on the day the Mayans thought would be the Apocalypse as well. Oh well, if you're reading this, you survived or you're a ghoul. Then I'm a ghoul as well. Wait…can ghouls use computers?

Chapter 38: More Headaches

"Rather unorthodox strategy…"

The girl on the screen nodded and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Out of the corner of his eye, Weihan could see Liz and Jorja trying to calmly explain the world of Equestria to the other four Crystal Rangers, while Bec talked to Billy and Twilight. After Xonix had teleported away, he had spent a few minutes trying to compose himself and sorting through everything the overlord had said about him. Of course, it wasn't true and he wasn't becoming a monster…the stress from the time delayed monster and Xonix's survival was just getting to him. Perhaps if he repeated it over and over to himself, he would start to believe it.

"Ah guess so but it worked an' everyone's chuffed bout it."

He sat back on the chair and reeled at the information, shifting slightly as the sleeping filly on his lap yawned. He had absolutely no idea why Sweetie Belle had decided to use his legs as a pillow or mattress, but the looks of gratitude and amusement from the others were more than enough for him to grin and bear it. Of course, Rarity was looking at him with extreme admiration but on the other hoof, it was hard for him to look at her and not hear the shouts of orgasmic joy from her, thankfully unseen, tryst with Pinkie. Feeling a soft breath on his foot, he looked down to see both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie curled up under him and, from the looks of it, fast asleep. Rolling his eyes, he thought to what Bree had told him. It had confirmed that Xonix had arranged some sort of attack that he expected to win, but it seemed he hadn't though to cover all of his bases regarding the intelligences of the others. He felt a small pang of guilt at his earlier thoughts and brushed it off.

North Sydney was a total write-off and the office building the college was in had practically been destroyed. He had heard some rumours that the college was going to be moved into a sturdier building over the term break but it seemed that it would be done sooner. He was suddenly very glad he wasn't there to help with the move…not that he expected the lecturers to 'enlist' the students. On the other side of the card was the relatively small size of the attack force. Based on the images that had been beamed through, there were six smaller cruisers and a large battleship. Recalling the extensive military archives Edward and the reformed Goldar seemed to have stashed away, he knew that the shield protecting the battleship was more than likely Mythic Class, perhaps a Cerberus or Centaurus. The shields around the cruisers were more than likely Kraken Class, but he couldn't confirm that until he had a scrap from one of the ships. He shook his head in wonder once more as Fluttershy snored cutely.

"Thirty three Ultra Zords, Mega Winger and the Delta Megazord? That's slight overkill though."

Bree shook her head as he chuckled under his breath. There was a flash of sorrow that the Astro Megaship had been practically wrecked in the battle, but Andros had repeatedly reassured him that the refit and reconstruction would be the best option for Earth. He wondered where all the technology would be headed if, by some chance, NASADA's budget was slashed in half. He decided not to worry about it as there would always be a need for new Rangers sometime down the line. Apparently Edward had been interested in two strange projects – the ARC Centre and the TW Battle Group. The Orange Ranger had no doubt that he would be seeing the fruits of their labour first hand somewhere down the line, but for now…he was content with a filly on his lap and two mares at his feet. Wait, why did that sound so bad in his head?

"Hey, you didn't see the size of the thing. They were almost tempted to break out the Zords at the start."

Behind him, he could hear Emma tentatively ask a question of the blue Pegasus hovering near her head. He could hear the irritation in Rainbow Dash's voice and chuckled at the exasperation in Billy's. He reached out to the cup of warm tea on beside him but stayed his hand as Sweetie Belle rolled her shoulders once. Dropping his hand to run his fingers through Pinkie's mane, he lifted the cup with his magic. Sipping the sweetened liquid, he placed it down on the table once more and thought about the reasons why their hands had been stayed. Perhaps there had been civilians in the open or injured people being loaded into emergency vehicles…which kinda fit under the umbrella of 'civilians in the open'. Or maybe the first choice of Zord had been one of his and they couldn't really figure out how to undo the security lock. The last one was a possibility but he was sure anyone with an Ultra Crystal could perform a manual override. On the other hoof, if they wanted his Dinozord, they would be screwed as it was resting inside its subspace pocket yet again.

"Huh. What stopped them?"

Idly, he picked up a printout that had been left on the countertop and began skimming through it. There was nothing major in it, just strange power fluctuations and slight tremors coming from one of the old bunkers Billy had built across Equestria. Everything seemed to check out all right, though there was a notice of a loose connection to the central 'hub'. On the other hand, Billy had assured him that any bunkers, bases and holes that were out there had been completely sacked of their technology besides the emergency life support system, air recyclers and some small degree of shielding and those services were run by said hub…it was probably rats or parasprites.

"Civilians out in the open and about a thousand or so scouters raining laser death from above."

Glancing behind him at the sound of hoof-steps, he saw Rarity, Applejack and Apple Bloom walk up and nodded at the trio. Levitating the mug to his lips, he felt the weight on his legs lessen and looked down to see Sweetie Belle being lifted off, wrapped in a light blue glow. The Green Ranger placed her sister onto her back and smiled once at him before trotting away to the back living quarters. Sipping the liquid once more, he settled back and mulled over Bree's words once again. Civilians in the streets would pose a threat if there were giant hulks wandering on the streets and it was very easy to not see the human in your path until you were scraping his or her remains off the underside of the foot. He grimaced at the thought, mind flashing back to the countless times he had seen red matter on the bottom of his Zord's feet. Shaking his head, he took a long drink and wondered if Celestia hadn't slipped something extra into it.

"And something, maybe, about me blasting energy dinosaurs from my hands."

He nodded absently…and then the words sunk into his mind. Inhaling sharply, he began coughing as the tea went down the wrong pipe. Fluttershy and Pinkie woke up immediately and lightly hit their hooves against his back. Waving them off, he gulped in a lungful of air and refocused his gaze on the screen. Bree was looking at his reaction with amusement and he rolled his eyes slightly. Seeing that he was all right, Pinkie pranced off to 'play' with the new Crystal Rangers, while Fluttershy laid her head onto his lap. Giving the girl on the screen a look to not bring up the issue, he shook his head once and tried to speak once more.

"Wha…what was that?"

As Bree opened her mouth to speak, Applejack walked closer and playfully nudged Apple Bloom. She could see the tension that was rising between Weihan and the girl who sounded like Apple Bloom and wanted, needed, to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. Plus, she knew that the former King Sombra would practically be wetting himself with joy at seeing the Ultra Rangers in action. She made a face and willed the disturbing image out of her mind.

"An' Ah thought Ah had troubles with this one scooting off in the middle of the night to earn her Cutie Mark in bat catching. Y'all aren't a Ranger, are you?"

Bree shook her head and Applejack felt some of the tensions inside dissipate. If she wasn't a Ranger, then how would a regular human shoot energy from her hands? It was akin to Twilight trying to fly or Pinkie shooting magic from her head – it just wasn't done. Besides, Billy had told them that normal folk needed outside Power Sources to morph into Rangers, so to hear that the dimensional counterpart of Apple Bloom was slowly becoming a Ranger without any exterior assistance was…chilling. She glanced over to Twilight, who was listening in to their conversation. The Purple Ranger had the same expression of confusion and doubt that she was sure was on her own face. Bree shook her head and continued.

"Not a Power Ranger per se…but Zhane, the Silver Astro Ranger, said I may be part of something bigger. Ah'll look into it on this end but how long are you gonna stay over there?"

Running his fingers through Fluttershy's mane, he sighed and thought about the options at hand. There was no denying that Xonix would be out of action for a while. If not in a Power Coma, he would be resting and replenishing his powers until the next attack. Then there were the Trotters, the warriors of Xonix that had been mysteriously lost and were now making a rather deadly comeback in Equestria. He didn't know what they could do but knew the answer to their power was in the bulk of information he had sent over a few weeks back. If it wasn't Xonix or the Trotters, it would be Discord. Even with him running away from battle, the humanoid pony was a dangerous opponent – more so with him being able to access the powers of the Thirteenth Ultra Crystal and summon a form of Hellfire Armour. If a version of Assault Armour could be summoned, Equestria would be fucked. It was his duty as an Ultra Ranger to investigate the full spectrum of abilities Discord could tap in to and ascertain whether a continued and permanent presence was needed.

"For a few more weeks at least or until Xonix comes out of his Power Coma…which I suspect he's in."

Bree did a double take of her own at the words, but seemed to compose herself slightly more elegantly than he had. He supposed it was due to her relative innocence at the whole Ranger business. He would have to watch her like a hawk when he went back to ensure she did everything by the book.

"Xonix is over there? All right, Ah'll keep the troops organised and look for the others in mah team."

Dropping the line of slightly disturbing thoughts, he wondered what the backlash would be on the rest of the Ranger community. If Zhane knew, that meant the Astro Rangers weren't too far behind in their knowledge either and anything they knew would be told to Karone. The former Princess of Evil would then distribute it to Edward, who would tell Rita…and then he would be dragged in front of her yet again for yet another lecture about the 'merits' of civilians morphing into new Rangers. He had heard it before anyway and didn't really put much stock into the Prophecy of the Five Magicians…whoever they were supposed to be. If the former villains knew and sustained their links of communication, there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that it would somehow leak out to their other allies…one in particular that he hoped would never find out.

"AJ's gonna be pissed…eh, she'll get over it. Got a name in your head for your designation?"

Bree chewed on her lower lip as she thought about it. She hadn't put much stock into coming up with names as it seemed that every Ranger in existence was named by the Power they bore. Sentinel Ranger was one option, but if the team was supposed to be the Ranger Sentinels, fancy wordplay wouldn't help much. Heading down a different track, her mind kept going to the two dinosaurs that had come out of her hands. she opened her mouth and the little girl inside her brain began kicking her over and over for how stupid the name sounded. She knew that it was, by most accounts, lazy and lacked vision…but it felt right.

"The Dual Dino"

TBC…


	39. Potential

AN: And a Happy New Year to all readers! First chapter off the ranks in my mind and it's almost reaching the…quarter way mark. Oh well…I have lots in store this year. Stick around, relax, pull up a chair…and enjoy.

Chapter 39: Potential

He scoffed and shook his head once more.

It seemed that Xonix or Night Shade, or whatever name he wanted to use this time, wasn't immune to the effects of magical backlash and its compounding effects after all. Dark Hoof had whisked Xonix away moments after he had collapsed and mumbled something about a Power Coma to those that could listen. As his strength was slowly recovering, even with the link to the Dark Crystal, Discord had listened in with interest. Apparently there was a Ritual that would allow any external being to grow to massive heights at the expense of some of the caster's own energy. If he were to try such a thing, he would be only slightly drained…but the energy drain would happen on a continuous basis. If the creature was destroyed, the magic would rush back along the connection to the mind of the caster and place his or her body into something called 'magic shock'. The leader of the Trotters had pulled away after that, but he had been intrigued at what other forms of Power were in the home dimension of his 'Master'.

Dragging himself to his quarters, he had slumped behind one of the barely-working terminals and attempted to draw on the databanks that were still intact. From the looks the other three Trotters had passed each other, he could guess that whatever mission they had been sent on in Canterlot had been a roaring success. He didn't know what the 'meat' of it entailed, but he knew it had something to do with the Palace and the rather trusting nature of the Palace Guards. It wasn't really his place to ask questions and he pushed those thoughts out of his mind as his claws tapped the keys impatiently. Rolling his eyes he allowed the computer to do its work and scanned his room slowly. His eyes fell on the door leading to where the hastily-stashed healing tube was and, on a whim, he summoned the Dark Crystal. It would be all too easy to infuse the occupant with the Power needed to overthrow Xonix…but that would pose other dangers. No, it would be better to let him recuperate under his own power.

The question was how long it would last. From what he had heard of his Master's battle with the Orange Ranger, there had been many Power Comas in the past that ranged from a matter of week to a long stretch of months. There was no doubt in his mind that he could step up and lead the forces around him to victory…even with his magic as weak as it was. After all, his Dark Crystal had restored his time manipulation to a point and his ability to command with a single word wouldn't be too far behind. The only issue he would have was the creation of monsters, as he couldn't always run to Tricksy when he wanted a creature sent down. The battle before had proven to him that, at first, magically created monsters were overwhelming to the opposition but they would lose all their strength if kept in a state of 'stasis'. He wanted strong monsters, not ones that would lose all their power when he retired them for the night. Tricksy would still have her place in his army, but he would need a better way of creating monsters that didn't rely on existing items or infusing parts of his essence into things. Honestly, that last option creeped him out more than Psychocorn.

Suppressing the urge to bang his head against the metal wall, he looked to the screen as it chirped once. Ensuring the door was locked, he scrolled through the information – noting how slow the system seemed to be at times. After around five minutes of perusal, he shook his head once more and looked at the Crystal on his lap. There was no information about the home dimension of Xonix…just bits and pieces of monster data apparently compiled by the Midnight Blue Ranger. Unfamiliar names flashed on the screen along with various methods that were used to create monsters. Splicing DNA strands together sounded like a good idea but with such a small 'gene pool' to choose from…well, there were only a few ways that pony, griffon and whatever Tricksy had become could be tied together. Animating machines was too close to animating external objects…but if he could animate the Zords of the Rangers that was worth looking in to at least. He could feel his eyebrows rise higher and higher as he looked through the options on the list. Unfreezing futuristic criminals was right up there with intergalactic pirates and space Ninjas for the most unfeasible options…and that was where he started to hit the 'wall'. Placing the Dark Crystal on the surface nearest to him, he rubbed his eyes and turned back to the screen once more. There had to be a way to get more power…

_What about my power?_

He looked up at the sudden voice. As far as he knew, he was alone in his quarters. The others were recovering and resting after the beatings those blasted Rangers had given them and the small amount of added protection and offensive capability the summoned Armour hadn't been enough to fend off total defeat. Slowly standing up, he slid his slightly battered xiphos out from its sheath and held in a reverse-grip. Tired or not, he would still be able to deal with any unwanted intruders that had managed to slip past the, admittedly pathetic, security.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

His voice seemed to echo off the walls, shaking tiny motes of dust free from the seams. The voice had seemed to come from everywhere around him…almost as if it were being broadcast from within his body. That was impossibility of course, as the only foreign object he had inserted into his body had been the Dark Ultra Crystal. And the Ultra Rangers had never mentioned hearing voices in their minds before; granted, the only things he had heard from them had been the usual heroic taunts and battle cries. In the middle of battle, there were more pressing issues than hearing voices in one's head.

Wait.

Was it his imagination, or did the Dark Crystal seem to glow with each word?

_Silly pony…you know who I am._

Discord almost dropped his blade on his foot. The voice didn't seem harsh or demanding. It flowed like smooth honey and, with a start, he felt himself being drawn in by it. Was this how others felt when his vocal powers ensnared their minds? He didn't know as they hadn't said much about anything after their mental capacities had been turned to mush. The Crystal was powerful, that was true, but to hold some degree of sentience and be able to communicate with him? It didn't seem possible. Yet, the doors to his quarters were still intact and he could hear nothing from the others about hearing a strange voice in their minds…if it was really in their minds in the first place. Sliding his weapon back into its sheath, he let out a slightly forced chuckle.

"You can't be serious. Ugh…after a battle like that, it's no wonder I'm hearing voices."

The voice or whatever it was seemed to go silent and Discord wondered if he had finally snapped. Those defeats handed to him by the Rangers had to have done some degree of damage to his mind and that wasn't even counting the strange energy tendril that had snapped out of the Morpher of the Red Ranger all those years ago. Of course, the evidence had proved that it had come from Xonix himself, but there was still a lot about his former follower that he was in the dark about. Walking to his bunk, he shook his head and chuckled to himself. As it there was really some sort of spirit or voice he was hearing in his mind that was promising Power that could create monsters out of thin air. Only Xonix and the True Master could do those and for him to do it would mean he would have gigantic shoes to fill. He was about to dismiss everything as a stress-induced hallucination when he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of an eye.

It seemed as if the very air was pulling together the dust scattered around to form a monster. He had created monster bodies this way before to be enchanted by the Master, but this was the first time that there was a semblance of life during the creation process. Its hands clenched into fists, claws rending its flesh and drawing droplets of liquid that shouldn't really be possible. The muscular chest rose and fell as if it were breathing air into whatever its lungs were made of. A deep rumble split the air as its apish head formed, yellowed eyes brimming with savage intelligence focusing on him within moments. And yet, the creature was still nothing more than a glorified dust bunny…but seemed like so much more.

_This is no illusion or hallucination, Discord. You haven't even begun to tap into my potential._

The warrior blinked once and drew his blade once more, moving the tip over the chest of the new monster. To his amazement, a thin line of milky fluid seeped out of the new wound and he felt his knees weaken with shock. If his Crystal was capable of this, then what else could it do? Visions of monsters being summoned from the ether and attacking both sets of Rangers rose to the forefront of his mind and he chuckled darkly. The Power was all the security he needed but, like all things, there was a catch.

"What am I missing?"

The voice hissed in laughter as Discord sealed his fate.

_You will know soon…_

TBC…


	40. Zero Time

Chapter 40: Zero Time

"A Power Coma?"

He nodded and stifled a yawn as the ponies in front of him began talking over each other. By his reckoning, it was around one in the morning and they still wanted to know more about what Xonix was capable of. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had first-hoof experience of his power and ferocity but even they were surprised at how the supposed Overlord would be so willing to put himself through debilitating measures to impart power into his monsters. He had told them tales of his battles and experiences with Xonix's supposed stupidity but had tried to impress how dangerous he was after he had woken from said Power Coma. Of course, they also knew to not let their guard down as Discord and his crew were still out there and the Princesses were researching into an event where the Trotters had been seen poking around one of the Forgotten Vaults. He had only heard snippets of the conversation, but what he had heard was enough to send shudders through his body. Shining Armour was with them as he was still Captain of the Guard – even though he was living in the Crystal Empire.

"Yeah, it happens once Xonix expends too much of his energy on a monster. If you had been here a few hours ago, you would've known this Billy."

The Midnight Blue Ranger chuckled and shook his head in wonder. There was really nothing about their enemy to laugh about but it helped to dispel most of the tension that had come from the explanations of the Orange Ranger. Regular maintenance on the Zords had checked out all right and, somehow, he had managed to get a sample of the 'blood' that flowed through the veins of the monsters Tricksy had created. Said sample was running its merry course through the various machines that were finally finding their proper use as magical databank searchers. He knew the only possible match to come up would be a link to Zedd's magic, but he had to be sure that Tricksy hadn't somehow, for lack of a better word, evolved. If she had…he didn't want to think about it.

"Sue me; I had other things to do like eat and rest. Speaking of which, shouldn't you guys get some sleep sometime soon? It surely can't be comfortable like that."

Weihan looked down at the yellow-furred Pegasus resting her head on his lap and chuckled. Apart from a few instances of movement and one time when she had to get up to eat and do…other things, Fluttershy had stayed pretty much on or near him since the end of their training session. She had twitched her ears a few times whenever he had mentioned a particularly tense section of a fight but had stayed mostly quiet and still. He had to seriously think of other things or his mind would automatically go to the events of the last time Fluttershy had her head that close to him. Nodding once, he looked up at the still-amused faces of the others and opened his mouth to speak. However, whatever he was about to say was cut off by a low grumbling that emanated from his stomach. Rolling his eyes at the ensuing laughter, he stretched his arms above his head and nudged Fluttershy, causing her to open her eyes groggily.

"Time to get some food and then sleep."

"You woke me up to say we need to sleep?"

Having the grace to feel sheepish about that, he nodded once. The Yellow Ranger rolled her eyes and grudgingly lifted her head from its comfortable spot as he rose from his chair. Looking around the room once more, he saw that the only other Rangers who still looked interested were Liz and Emma. He didn't exactly know why the Asian girl was so interested in his previous dealings with Xonix but he wasn't going to, pardon the pun, look a gift horse in the mouth.

_There is something on the horizon._

He paused mid-step as his 'internal guide' spoke to him. After the shattering of the Ultra Crystals, his internal guide had practically gone silent and hadn't dispensed the advice and help that it had previously. Weihan and some of the others had chalked it up to the Ultra Rangers having upgraded their powers but didn't really dwell on it much. To hear it now meant that something was about to happen and, judging from the tone that had been imparted, it wasn't gong to be something he would like. Smoothing down his clothes as much as he could manage, he looked out the windows at the dimly-lit streets of Canterlot. There hadn't been a night-time battle since Creeper had been destroyed and he didn't want to chance how quickly the citizens could get to the nearest Monster Shelter in their tired state. Resting his forehead against the cool glass, he stretched out with the Power to get a feel of what was twinging at his senses. Hilariously enough, there was nothing coming from the Nightmare Mountains where Zedd's base had once stood undetected. Nothing evil was in that direction, apart from the natural animalistic urges of the creatures in that area.

His mind lightly touched against…something indescribably evil and his eyes flew open with a start. He didn't know how he knew, but the Dark Crystal had awoken. Of course, it could have been argued that the Dark Crystal had been 'awake' all along as it had allowed Discord, and before him Zedd, to use its powers to great effect but this felt different. If he had to place it into words, he would have said it was heartless. Using 'evil' to describe it seemed too shallow, almost like someone who wanted power because of some ill-conceived notion it would bring happiness to the bearer. Shaking his head, he stepped back from the window – all traces of his earlier grogginess and hunger gone.

"What's up? Not hungry?"

Shaking his head slowly at Twilight's voice, he closed his eyes once more and connected himself to the vast reserves of Power inside his Crystal. He allowed the flames within to eat away at his weariness and hunger as well as filling his body with new strength. He wasn't even aware he was speaking the instructions aloud until he felt seven other energy signatures flare up behind him, quickly followed by the slightly weaker Equestrian Ranger Powers. It was slightly amusing how the ponies seemed to defer to him over the more experienced Billy, but that was only when he was present. After Xonix returned 'home' or was destroyed, he would be able to count on one hand the number of times he would be back. Of course, he would be back for birthdays and the like but not for big, all-encompassing battle events until it was time to take down Discord, Zedd or Tricksy for good.

"It's coming…"

No sooner had the words left Twilight's mouth did the Monster Alarm begin blaring. Slowly opening her eyes, the Purple Ranger gasped as she could see a shimmering aura cover her friends and the Crystal Rangers. She furrowed her brow in deep thought as a familiar face flitted over her vision for a split second. Shaking her head slowly, she wondered why she could see it when the others didn't seem to share the same ability. If Princess Celestia knew that Shining Light was watching over them from the Grid, it would certainly allow her to release most, if not all, of her longstanding grief from her lover's second death. Mind made up, she promised herself that she would tell the Princess after the battle was over. She wouldn't tell her mentor the…other thing that was heavy on her mind as one bombshell would be enough for now. Snapping her head to one of the nearby screens, she used her magic to activate it. In a burst of static, the image solidified to reveal a strangely lit scene with a barely visible monster on the rampage.

"What the Hell is that?"

Indeed, it was a strange creature from Weihan's point of view. It seemed to lack the solid mass that all of the previous creatures had, also it seemed to float above the ground as if held aloft by a wisp of air. Shaking his head at the oddly poetic descriptions he had come up with, the Orange Ranger adjusted his glasses and squinted in the flickering light. Whatever it was, it was strong and dangerous as it roared a challenge into the air. Blades of sand or solid dust seemed to slide out from its shoulders and knees, making him flash back to the battle with Creeper. Sliding his Ultra Crystal out of his chest, he looked to the Purple Ranger and smiled grimly.

Tired or not, they had a job to do.

TBC…


	41. Blazing Anger

Chapter 41: Blazing Anger

"Is that thing made of dust?"

The creature in front of them looked like someone, or something, had crossed an ape monster with a handful of dust. It stood around a head taller than most monsters and was coloured a dull grey with patches of white and brown. As was seen on the viewscreen, its body seemed to warp and twist constantly, giving it the constant ebb and flow of ocean tides. Looking at it too long made Applejack want to vomit but they had a job to do and could certainly suffer some amount of discomfort. Their Powers would help with the nausea anyway but they still had to think about how to deal with a monster that looked to be made out of nothing but dust and air. The monster paused and looked at the assembled Rangers in front of it, before opening its mouth to speak in a growling, yet somehow regal, tone.

"Power Rangers, my Lord Discord welcomes you to your doom. My name is Duster and I assure you, you will meet your end at my hands."

"Nice. Do you fight or did Discord program you to talk as much as him?"

The answer came in the form of two fists flying at the group of Rangers; fists that had disconnected from the monster but were still being controlled by it. Unsheathing his Raptor Sabre, Weihan slashed at one of the flying fists as it came close – only to have his blade pass straight through the monster. The Orange Ranger staggered back and looked around him to see if any of the others were having better luck with the other flying projectile. From the looks of things, they were having exactly the same rate of success as he was…which was rather comical. If sixteen Rangers couldn't defend themselves against seemingly non-corporeal fists, then they would have a problem when going up against Duster. Rolling to one side as the fist flew close to him; he exchanged a glance with Twilight and shook his head slightly. Well, on the bright side it was only the monster to deal with…

"Oh no, this won't do at all! It's not much of a destruction party if you don't have things to beat up on. Where did my manners go?"

Twenty flashes of light heralded the arrival of several Uni-Golems that appeared around the monster and advanced towards the Rangers menacingly. Taking their attention off the object they couldn't hit, the Rangers turned their attention to the Uni-Golems and engaged them. Flashes of light and energy lit up the battlefield peppered with groans and cries of agony from Ranger and grunt alike. All the while, Duster danced along the edge of the battle with an expression of childish malice shining on his ape-like face. Backing up to line up a shot with her Magic Launchers, Twilight yelped as and was struck from behind. She whirled around and saw…nothing. There wasn't any attacker that she could see, just the detached fist hovering in a rather nonchalant way. Shaking her head, the Purple Ranger turned back to the fight when she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Ducking a falling Uni-Golem, she looked back to see the same arm floating in place without a care in the world. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she grumbled under her breath and leapt back into the fight without a second glance.

Only this time, she didn't make it back to the battle. Uni-Golem and Ranger stopped and watched in stunned disbelief as the Purple Ranger was prohibited from moving by the detached limb, which was wrapped around her armoured tail. Flinging the shocked Ranger into the air, it proceeded to juggle the helpless Ranger via a series of uppercuts…all while Duster made several exaggerated fighting movements. Thinking quickly, Fluttershy aimed her Tail Stinger at the hand and fired a blast of pale yellow energy…only to have it pass through the monster harmlessly. More blasts from the others garnered the same non-result and they didn't want to try more powerful blasts in case one of them accidentally struck Twilight. Several blasts later, it began to dawn upon them that nothing they could do would be able to defeat the monster in any way. Disheartened, the Rangers turned their frustrations on the remaining Uni-Golems and destroyed them within minutes. As the last Uni-Golem exploded in a ball of fire, the Rangers turned to the monster only to see something very strange.

"Oh my, this is not good at all! This will not do for my plan of destroying you; I need to be whole for this to work!"

Their jaws dropped open as they saw Duster trying to beat out a smouldering spot on one of his hands. The flames weren't really going to catch hold anytime soon, but if the monster could be attacked in an indirect manner then everything would be over relatively easily. Aware that everyone was looking at her and Weihan, Twilight nodded once and stepped towards the monster. Stopping his frenzied beating, Duster looked at the Orange and Purple Rangers as they advanced, slowly becoming aware that none of the Rangers had uttered a single word outside of the flashy attacks. Drawing in a deep breath, he roared a challenge at them and ran towards them. A plan began to slowly form in his mind as he neared them which would ensure that he would gain his Master's favour.

Turning intangible, he shuddered as the weapons of the Rangers passed through his body before spinning around and launching his fists at the duo. Contrary to what his motions had 'shown', he didn't have direct control of his hands but could manipulate them in subtle ways. Everything about it had kind of freaked him out as, all things said and done, he was a creature made out of dust and dead skin flakes but he supposed it was better than nothing. Plus, Discord had assured him that his form would be useful in dealing with the Rangers as they weren't really known for their quick-thinking abilities. As the limbs flew towards the Rangers, the monster dove head-first into a nearby flower patch and waited for the perfect time to strike.

Three fire-charged strikes later and the Orange Ranger had a new appreciation for his fire powers. Both fists were on the ground and being slowly consumed with flames. The Orange Ranger turned to scan the battlefield for the monster when a muffled sound caught his ears. Snapping his head to the direction of the other Rangers, his eyes widened in shock as he saw them lying on the ground seemingly unconscious. They were unmorphed and their bodies were covered in horrible injuries…injuries that surely couldn't have been done in the few seconds taken for the hands to be cut down. Soft laughter reached his ears but he didn't look up from his fallen friends as Twilight uttered a soft cry of despair.

"You focused too much on the threat in front of you, Ranger. It was mere child's play for me to use the powers my Master granted me."

Although every fibre of his being was calling out to destroy the creature, Weihan tried to relax himself. Even though he had a right to destroy the monster, he was still a guest in the dimension of the ponies. He had taken over, stolen the show, from the native Rangers too many times in the past and he would not allow his anger to get the better of him in this situation. Besides, he had done his fair share of nuking a creature that seemingly couldn't be hit when he had destroyed Creeper. Mustering up all of his self control, he placed his hand on Twilight's helmet, causing the Purple Ranger to look at him curiously. Switching on the helmet-to-helmet communication system, he spoke with a heavy, yet firm, voice.

"The destruction of the monster is up to you. Try to channel your element through your horn in a wide beam."

The Purple Ranger nodded once and allowed her eyes to rove over the fallen forms of her friends and comrades once more, feeling the familiar surge of anger filling her body. Through the armour of her uniform, she felt the first crackles of fire dancing on the outside of her fur and she stifled a laugh as she remembered what had happened to her at Froggy Bottom Bog all those years ago. Digging her hooves in, she kept the monster within her field of vision as purple and orange bolts of energy began to run over her horn. Through the haze that was beginning to settle over her sight, she could see the Orange Ranger attempt to get their friends to safety before she spoke in a low and very dangerous tone.

"You messed with my friends."

She felt the dam inside her burst as her worry for her friends came rushing to the forefront of her mind. Her emotions would grant the strength needed to work around Discord's first monster, though she almost wished the battle had been a little bit longer. It was almost like some outside force was making the battle be shorter in the hopes of meeting some self-imposed deadline…or maybe Pinkie's thoughts were invading her mind once more. Channelling the power to her horn, she screamed out as a torrent of fiery energy blasted from her body – turning Duster into ash within seconds.

"Now you BURN!"

TBC…


	42. Strategy to Create

Chapter 42: Strategy to Create

"You did what?"

Applejack opened her eyes slowly as the shocked anger in the voice made her ear twitch. Her body screeched in protest as she attempted to roll over but she knew that it was just the muscles and nerves protesting. A long soak in the Healing Tanks had done wonders of the injuries that had been inflicted by the creature they had fought against the night before. When she tried to think about how the injuries had happened, her mind began playing its tricks on her. From Twilight's perspective, only a few seconds had made all the difference between their friends' wounded states…yet Applejack swore it was different. She had seen a dome covering all of them and their attempts in destroying the monster, the only lighting being the blasts from their weapons. Pinkie Pie had done the best as she had fought in a pitch-black environment before…but after thirty minutes of continuous fighting they had become tired and that had lead to them making mistakes. One crack in their defence had left them vulnerable to an attack the seemed to get under their armour and had left them in a literal pile of hurt.

She had managed to open her eyes at Twilight's shout of rage and had seen her friend incinerate the monster while the Orange Ranger stood to the sidelines. Honestly, she didn't want to think ill of him but she could swear that, in the moment the monster buckled under the heat, the Ranger seemed…pleased. Shaking her head slowly, she chided herself for thinking that as if it wasn't for his help; Twilight may not have been able to summon up the energy needed to destroy the monster. Sleep hadn't come easily for any of them, but she had felt safe in Rainbow Dash's forelegs. The last thing she needed first thing in the morning was to be woken up by a guard pony's stupidity.

"Out of all the stupid things…and you trust her to not give our identities away?"

"You know you can ask her yourself. She's trying to wrap her head 'round everything."

That brought her up short. It wasn't that a guard pony had seen inside the bed chambers of the Princesses but something else on the other side of the proverbial 'wall'. Wriggling her way out of Dash's grasp, she sat on the edge of the bed and lowered her rear hooves to the ground. The coldness of the floor jolted her brain awake in a split-second and she began to move closer to the sound, looking around to see which room she had fallen asleep in. The sleeping forms of her friends reassured her that she had, indeed, managed to make it to their quarters before attempting to sleep but her relief at that thought was blanketed away by the other Rangers. The Crystal Rangers seemed to be in various stages of sleep, although the Ivory Ranger was awake and alert. The redhead nodded to the orange pony before looking down at the Onyx Ranger who had curled up on her lap like a human-sized kitten. Chuckling under her breath at the strange sight, the Red Ranger continued out of the room and down the long hall to the Main Command Chamber.

"No, I don't think that will be needed Bree. You do know I don't know what your Morphers will look like, right?"

"Aw, Ah'm sure they'll come to you. Anyways, that's the situation here an' Ah doubt it'll change anytime soon."

Peering through the doorway, the first thing Applejack noticed was the Orange Ranger slumped in front of the Communications Console of the Doorway. Next to him was an equally exhausted Fluttershy, the Yellow Ranger doing more to prop him up than the chair. She wondered exactly what they had been doing while the rest of them slept but furiously scrubbed the idea out of her mind before it could fully form. Of course he would be more tired and worn out than the rest of them as he had spent most of his energy healing the Rangers who didn't have a dip in the Healing Tanks – namely the Crystal Rangers. She was also sure that Fluttershy had practically slept on top of him to ensure he didn't wander off in the middle of the night to aggravate his own injuries. As far as she knew, the past two years hadn't done much to crush Fluttershy's crush of the Orange Ranger and, maybe it was her imagination, he seemed to be reciprocating the feelings. Or maybe she needed to stop looking so darn closely into things that weren't there.

Trotting through the door, she nudged Fluttershy's side lightly and stifled a laugh as the Pegasus squeaked in surprise. As the heart-rate of her friend calmed down, the cowpony looked at the screen in wonder. Although it had been some time since she had set hoof in it, the rocky walls of the Ultra Cavern were as familiar as ever. She could see the shadowed hulks of the massive Ultra Zords in the background and could see a shimmering wash over them as the ZARS repaired minor cracks and dings that had come from the battle the day before. However, her eyes were drawn to the girl on the other side of the screen, as her eyes were similarly drawn to her. If AJ was her dimensional counterpart, there was no doubt in the mind of the Red Ranger that that girl was Applebloom's counterpart. Thinking to her younger sister who was back at Sweet Apple Acres, she was glad that the Crusader wouldn't be seeing her counterpart.

"Ah guess you're the counterpart of mah sister then? She always mentioned the freaky similarities but…yeah."

A shiver ran down Applejack's spine as the voice of the girl sounded through the speakers. Land's sakes, the voices matched perfectly and her mannerisms were spot on. Of course, that was to be expected as she had heard the girl speak before but everything since that had happened made the memory a tad fuzzy. She felt herself nod as another head appeared behind Applebloom's counterpart. It was a slightly older woman with soft features and shoulder length blonde-brown hair. The other person opened her mouth to speak to the girl when she noticed her. The next few moments were somewhat comical as the other woman's eyes opened wide and in unison with the slow drop of her mouth, followed by the stumbling back in surprise and culminating in the collapse of the other woman in a heap. Weihan sighed and rolled his eyes, his hands dropping to lightly poke Fluttershy's flank.

"What…what…where…ponies?"

Shaking her head in resignation, the other girl turned around and began speaking to the second woman. The words didn't seem to be picked up by the microphones, but from what Applejack could see – she was not having a fun time with explanations. A soft sound from the Orange Ranger made her look up to see what the human was doing…besides poking Fluttershy. Scrubbing her brain some more before thoughts of the other meaning of 'poking' could solidify, she could see the human was drawing on a sheet of parchment that he had procured from somewhere nearby. His eyes seemed to be glazed over slightly and it was only the movement of his lips and the rise and fall of his chest that convinced her that her friend was still amongst the realm of the living. Stepping over a softly snoring Fluttershy, she craned her neck up to see the images and her breath caught in her throat at the level of detail that was present.

The first image reminded her of the object Billy had first shown them all those years ago, a Power Morpher in the same shape and style as Billy's. Unlike the Midnight Blue Ranger's relic, this Morpher seemed to have four cracks running parallel to the inner coin for some reason. The big red button on the side was gone with nothing to replace it but the handle at the back. The engravings on the front sent chills through her body as they depicted snarling beasts standing in front of shattered bones and ragged strips of flesh. A small sketch at the side showed her what the Morpher would look like when it was activated and hypothesised how the armour would materialise on the individual. Under the sketch and the mini-thesis were the words 'Dual Dino Morpher' and 'Bree Apple'. A small smile ghosted over her lips as she saw the surname of the young girl.

"With Xonix in his Power Coma, we'll be heading back soon. I don't think the Trotters or Discord will let up in their attacks even though their Master isn't around to order them around. In any case, I feel that Discord will become more dangerous as he tries to assert himself as a worthy successor to Xonix's 'legacy'."

Despite the ominous warning in his words, Applejack nodded once. From the previous night's battle, she knew that fighting Discord would be taking things to the next level. Discord had once been the truest threat to Equestria and would be itching to reclaim his spot over his current and former Masters. With the power of the thirteenth Ultra Crystal in his claws, they would be seeing more and more of what he was capable of – and Celestia help them if he regained all of his magic potential. The monster's manipulation of time had been all the warning Twilight was willing to get for them to increase their training regimen. They would need to be on the proverbial ball for everything and anything if they wanted to stand a chance against the corrupted Harmonium.

"Why can't you stay here for a bit longer? Help us out when we need it?"

Weihan shook his head as he began to come out of his trance. The images that Zordon had showed him were great in designing the Morphers for the Ranger Sentinels but didn't really tell him how the internals would look like. Plus it had conveniently left out the Dual Dino Morpher, but his connection to the Ultra Grid allowed him to skim over that problem somewhat. As for the materials to make the Morphers…well, he was sure the Phantom Ranger owed him a favour or two.

"We can't stay here, Applejack. This is your home and, even though we wish otherwise, we can't protect it for you. The Powers were given to you and the others for a reason and if we were to stay here, that reason would be rendered null and void. You guys are stronger than you think and have everything you need at your hooves. You are the only ponies that can fight against Discord and Xonix…until he returns to his proper place."

The Red Ranger bowed her head and nodded in acceptance. The spotlight was being put back onto her and the others but, for the first time in a long while, she wished it was otherwise. They needed the strength of the Ultra Rangers to help them through this rough patch and only after that would they be free to leave…but that wouldn't be fair on any of them. She didn't react as Weihan turned back to the screen as the conversation with the other woman, Olivia her name was, continued with an outline of what the 'business' would entail as she was deep in thought. Lowering herself to the floor next to Fluttershy, she nodded to herself as her weariness took hold once more.

It was all for the best after all.

TBC…


	43. Power On

AN: Short chapter to start the 'Returnings' arc…

Chapter 43: Power On

"It's very pretty…"

Discord stared at the object in front of him and shook his head. It was a small mechanical device with three open sockets. The metal looked hoof-beaten but he didn't think any of the metal smiths in Equestria were capable of producing such things; that included, of course, the electronic components he could see in the sockets. As most ponies were only now beginning to delve into the realm of advanced electronics in self-propelled vehicles, he doubted this could have been created for the ignorant masses. This was what the Trotters had been sent to receive? It didn't look like it could do anything greater than set off every single alarm in the network of rooms or even blow up the solar reactor that had been cobbled together. If the latter happened, their location would be known to everyone within a radius of several hundred kilometres as it would be quite hard to fathom why a bright pillar of light would be blasting up into the sky. He looked up at Dark Hoof once more with a raised eyebrow.

"Once again, what is it?"

"This is the answer to all of our needs. It will allow us to make full use of the Main Generator without having to fear discovery. Just imagine the possibilities when our Master awakens: shielding, camouflage capabilities and the ability to teleport to and from anywhere. With the power at our hands, we can attack everywhere at once! Surely even your archaic mind can see the possibilities of such a creation!"

Discord snorted at the comment, but let it slide. More power would bode very well for his…little secret, but the chance for its discovery would be increased ten thousand-fold. Debating the pros and cons in his mind, he slowly had to agree that it would be worth the risk. The Dark Ultra Crystal had been slowly imparting more and more of its wisdom to him in the past few days since Duster's attack and he wanted to have the abilities fully mastered if Xonix took…badly to his secret. As the 'Hellfire Armour', as it was called, had somehow been granted to him from the get-go, there was apparently only very little he had to learn. One of the things the voice had imparted on him was he would not be getting a Ranger form as that subset of energy would be used in the future. He didn't know why his dreams were peppered with some strange Ranger in silver armour on top of a strangely bipedal robot, but he knew enough to not question it. Yet, sometimes he longed for the days when it was simpler. When he had been younger, much younger, and had not experienced what he had. To this day, he didn't know exactly what it had been that had sent him down the path he was on; however, he knew things like that would soon come to bite him in his behind.

"You keep gushing about it and how the guards were fooled by your deception but, for the last time, what is it?"

Dark Hoof scoffed behind a hand and looked at the door where his Master was in his Power Coma. Before the battle, he had instructed the leader of the Trotters to tell Discord only what he needed to know, that it was a Power Bypass and nothing more, yet the humanoid horse seemed to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge that almost overshadowed his. It would almost be cute…but it would turn annoying fairly quickly. He could only hope his Master had enough time to finish off his spell before Discord cottoned on. He had already been informed by Psychocorn that the warrior was hiding something in the depths of his quarters but didn't know what it was – only that it was draining what little power that the existing backup generators were providing. From experience, he knew that a cornered creature was dangerous and Discord had the power of Tricksy and Gilda backing him, as well as the strange crystal that had allowed him to gain the armour that was similar to what he had seen on the 'Ultra' Rangers.

"It is a bypass device. The security systems will be 'leaped over' for us to utilise the power from the Main Generators."

Discord knew what a bypass device was as he had seen reports of it on the various terminals in his quarters. He couldn't deny the fact that they needed the full capabilities utilised of the location, yet if there was a chance that it could be done without the Rangers knowing of it…well, it was worth trying at least once. Since the 'campaign' had begun, Discord knew he was slowly slipping out of Xonix's favour. Not all of it had been his fault as the Rangers had stopped him at every turn. Even the reveal of his Hellfire Armour had allowed them to call on the help of the Ultra Rangers – the ones that triggered the memory return. He knew he would fight until his last breath for the true Master to return and, if that meant he had to help Night Shade with his plans, he would do so proudly.

"Very well. What needs to be done?"

Dark Hoof rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Discord had agreed to help too readily. While that wouldn't usually be anything out of the ordinary, the leader of the Trotters was always on edge around him. Picking up the small mechanical object, he pointed down to the floor with his free hand. He needed Discord out of the way for victory to be fully achieved, but he knew Master Xonix still had a use for him. There was only one way to test his loyalty.

"The Main Generators need to be turned on but only after this is connected to the three cables of the security system. Red is on the top, Blue is on my left side and Yellow is on my right. There will be a small Power Surge at the beginning but that is to be expected as the bypass occurs. I need you to switch on the Main Generator and only you must do this."

Discord nodded once, awaiting more instructions. Even though the drop down the chute wouldn't allow his wings to extend, the net would catch him and slow his fall. He would summon the Hellfire Armour before he dropped in case the net had rotted or had been removed. He didn't particularly fancy breaking all of the bones in his body and having to spend the next few days in a Healing Tank or a Healing Tube. Even though the power from the Dark Crystal would speed up the process, he would be sitting on the sidelines for a while.

The Power needed to be switched on.

TBC…


	44. Lengthening Stay

Chapter 44: Lengthening Stay

"How could this have happened?"

Sombra looked at the communication device strapped above his hoof in shock. Through his conversations with the Elder, he knew that no pictures could be transmitted through the thick shielding of their vessel but that did nothing to calm his nerves and agitation over what had just happened. Starburst had been injured during an altercation in one of the worlds they had been visiting. Of course, the wound had been patched up by one of the defenders but that wasn't the strangest part of the whole situation. Somehow, he wasn't quite sure how it had been pulled off; images had been sent through the communications device. It was a marvel that had the Elder stumped and seriously wondering how such an individual could pull off something thought to be impossible. That wasn't the most shocking part though. That had happened just a few moments ago when the image of the individual in question had flashed up on the tiny screen – the Orange Ranger.

"I am unaware how it is possible, Sombra. Yet, you must be mindful that there are many, many possible universes out there that transcend the boundaries of time and space. By his point of view, I am contacting the past. I am also unsure about the course progression of the Equestria he can contact. However, we will be staying here for the time being until Starburst's injuries are healed."

Sombra nodded slowly. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to be at his wife's side as she recovered from her injuries or that he hadn't been able to speak with the Ranger, but he guessed that was all for the best. From what he had seen of the Orange Ranger, he knew that his wife would be in good hooves…hands. The communicator gave a crackle and a sound like bacon frying before shutting down. The black unicorn looked at the room around him and reflected on what he had seen over the past two or three days. The Ultra Ranger and his Crystal Rangers had left after promising to stay in touch and they had given Celestia a wealth of information about Xonix and his motivations. It seemed almost foolish that Harmonium, no it was Discord now, would be willingly choosing to align himself with a being as thoroughly vile and evil as Xonix. On the other hoof, he had no idea how his son had changed throughout his imprisonment.

To protect his daughters and their charges, he would not be revealing anything about the other reality. It was seriously beginning to make his brain hurt just thinking about it and all the changes that must have happened. What, if anything, was a Kamen Rider and why wasn't the Orange Ranger using his powers? He supposed there must be a good reason for all of the strange changes and forced himself to not think of it anymore. Looking out the window at the streets of Canterlot, he sighed and tapped the floor impatiently with his hooves. The Rangers had been in intensive training from morning till night with little to no time between for breaks. It was unhealthy and he had expressed it to Luna many times as Celestia was with them, yet her response had been the same every time. Something about 'needing to be ready to do the unthinkable'…which was something that didn't really explain much at all. As to why the Princess of the Night wasn't training, well, that was explained by some smoke and mirrors answer about how a Princess was needed to prevent Equestria from falling into total anarchy. Somehow, that made more sense than the answer he had received about the training.

Slipping a few things inside a saddlebag, he walked out of his quarters and towards the doors that would take him outside. He had a lot on his mind and wanted to take a walk on the streets that he had missed so much. Walking in the simulated environment on the ship had been good, but didn't really contain all the sights and sounds of home. Nodding to the two guard ponies stationed at the door, he walked past them and out into the open air – not noticing the glance they shot at the closing door. Had he been more aware of his surroundings, the former King would have noticed the skin on one of the faces seemed to be rotting off. Instead, the only thing he noticed was the strange smell coming from one of them, which he waved off as the 'natural' smell that was supposed to come from ponies. Living on a vessel that was once the body of an Interdimensional Being did have some downsides, after all.

"Planning on going somewhere, father?"

Jumping a bit at the voice, the black unicorn looked toward the voice as the white coat of his daughter entered his field of vision. The Alicorn looked thoroughly exhausted, yet her eyes still held a trace of wry amusement. The guards that had been at the door not even one minute ago had vanished. Sombra's eyes narrowed for the slightest of moments before he shrugged the strange feeling off. Maybe it was the stress of seeing the fighting that was getting to him, coupled with the news of the other dimension and Starburst's injury. He sighed and looked over the city once more.

"I feel I need some air. To stay indoors while a battle rages outside is one thing but to stay indoors in a time of relative peace? Dear Celestia, this is something I cannot do usually. I fear Starburst has found that out the hard way…"

At her questioning look, he shook his head quickly. It would not do well for her to learn about the injuries her mother had sustained as there was literally nothing she could do. No, that burden fell squarely onto the shoulders of the Rider protecting the world from the creatures that seemed to come from mirrors. It almost made him wish that he had kept up his training, though he wasn't sure what a full-speed charge would do to a creature that could apparently reform at will. Perhaps he could ask his daughters to bring him up to speed on the newest fighting techniques. It seemed that the Rangers could potentially be good tutors.

"It is of no concern; yet, I am wondering if I am still needed here."

Celestia frowned slightly as she looked over her father once more. It was true that she had grown leaps and bounds since the last time they had seen each other, but she still lacked the regal air that surrounded her father. She had tried and tried to successfully pull it off but, while it may have fooled the majority of the populace, she knew she still had a ways to go. She had discussed this at length with her father but all he had said was it came with ample practice. Stepping closer to Sombra, she winced as pressure was applied to a tender spot on her front right hoof. It seemed Twilight was figuring out the various tricks of her Dragonfire Armour…such as the shoulder-mounted caltrop launcher and wrist claws. Either due to the battle with Xonix or a natural evolution of the Dragonfire Gem, her armour had added two protrusions on her back that looked like wingtips or a place where jets could come out. That brought a lot of strategic potential, yet would take time to fully master. However, that all would be able to resolve itself peacefully compared to the issues that she could plainly see on the face of her father.

"Father, you are needed here more than ever. Without your assistance, we wouldn't have been able to learn that Discord was our brother and we would be looking to destroy him…and not reform him. Twilight has been looking for ways to rebuild his mind and elevate him to the Bringer of Peace he was supposed to be."

Sombra shook his head and sighed. A trickle of ice water crept down his spine for an unfathomable reason and he could almost swear he could hear the explosions from the Rangers training. He had seen Discord's madness first hand and knew there was no hope for his son to ever be reformed. Maybe if he had looked harder for his son and explained things to him…but that window had been closed long ago. Starburst always said the past was what gave ponies their strength and hope for a better tomorrow, but in a situation like this?

"The time for Discord's reformation has come and gone. He cannot be reformed or moulded back into the pony he was meant to be as he had been exposed to too many evil powers that have corrupted his mind further. Not even the Elements of Harmony can help him…"

He trailed off, taking his eyes off the city below him and looking directly at his daughter. The next words would be even more painful than his confession that Discord was their brother, yet it had to be out in the air.

"However, they can destroy him."

TBC…


	45. Infiltration Mission

Chapter 45: Infiltration Mission

Slashing Vengeance couldn't believe how foolish the Rangers were.

He had to admit that the plan of Psychocorn had seemed rather idiotic from the get-go. As if the Rangers wouldn't notice two of the Trotters waltzing in under the 'borrowed' armour of two guards, yet it had gone off without a hitch so far. However, he knew better than to vocalise the thoughts to Air Sickness. He may be lost in the depths of insanity, but he wasn't stupid. And, in any case, the guards they had acquired the armour from would be able to move on their own after a few weeks of rest. Pushing back the fur on his right wrist, he smiled slowly as the talisman that had been enchanted by the demented one glowed softly. The appearance-changing spell was still in effect and they only had to press the side gem for the cloaking to become active. The cloak wasn't magical in any way, shape or form; rather, it was mechanical and would be easily picked up by any scanner that was pointed inward. Knowing the borderline-paranoia present in the Purple Ranger, he wouldn't put this past them…which meant they needed to be in and out before they were discovered. Yet, by the wrath of Dark Spectre, Air Sickness' crazed mumblings weren't putting things in their favour.

"Bypass…we need to suppress the scanning equipment for just a second…"

Slashing rolled his eyes at the ramblings but had to admit that it kept his mind on track and focused. Without the mutterings of the Pegasus to listen to, he would have surely slaughtered every last one of the pathetic beings that had dared to rise up against them. He did think the security in this hall specifically was a bit too over the top. Deadly looking turrets hung from the ceiling like menacing shadows and, if he squinted hard, he could see the outlines in the floor that presumably hid pitfall traps. The mission would have been a bust but they would have been able to power up their base without the threat of discovery, unless they were able to escape to the 'other place'. The thought of being able to go home called to him like a bloody beacon and he wanted it with every fibre of his being. If he were able to set hoof into his home dimension once more, he would raze everything to the ground – no matter how many Rangers stood in his way. Those so-called 'Ultra' Rangers were a challenge but they would fall soon enough under his attacks. His parents had found that out the hard way when they tried to have him shipped off to the meat grinders. All because he had done a few experiments on the family across the path, the one whose children had looked at him funny a few times. How was he to know he had been seen entering the building or that the careful barricades he had crafted would be broken so soon?

"First right…then left and down the hall…code is 8-7-9-1-4. Then, and only then, will the cloaks be engaged."

It wasn't his fault their bellies were so soft and unprotected, nor was it his fault that their knives had been lying on the counter. When the blood had flowed, it had filled him with such pleasure and joy and it was only the sharp jolt of electricity from the stun rods that brought him out of his euphoria. Too bad for the authorities that he had weapons concealed below his fur for just an occasion like this. In the process, he had found out that the body of the Equus really did have enough blood in them to paint a room. He seriously hadn't been expecting the taser/tranquiliser bullets, though he shouldn't have been surprised of their use. Still, it had taken an extra thirty minutes to subdue him…even with the great amount of tranquilizer in his bloodstream. Peering around the first corner, the psychotic Trotter strained his ears for the slightest sounds. Save for the sounds of heavy battle or training and the breathless moans that were coming from the direction of the quarters of the Princess of the Night, all was still. He didn't know what was more disturbing – that the Night Princess was partaking in activity commonly known as 'clopping' or that she was doing it while enemy forces were quite literally at her doorstep.

"It's clear. First right and then a left…"

Although the rest of the Universe viewed him as always being one of the Trotters, he had been the last recruited. It had been just after the original three's attack on Kinbem and couldn't have come at a better time. His number had been called and he was due to be made into mince the following morning. However, his subdued behaviour since his incarceration had made the guards lax in their surveillance of him and they hadn't really noticed when one or two Plax implements had gone missing from the communal eating area. They hadn't even noticed one of the guards vanishing from his rounds; well, not until it was too late for any of them. He didn't approve of the words being used to describe him either but that wasn't really much of his problem. A certain detachment from reality was needed for effective killing but did a dearth of emotion make him a sociopath? He was aware his mind was cracked and fractured in ways it probably shouldn't be, but to call him a psychotic monster was taking things a step too far. In fact, the only being he spared was his in-house psychologist…something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. And, if he wanted to be entirely honest with himself, she had enjoyed seeing the death and destruction around her. The tears had been tears of relief and her harsh sobs had soon given way to unhinged laughter that unnerved him. As they walked down the brightly lit hall, he wondered where she had lived out the rest of her days.

"Here…move over, you oaf. I'll punch in the code."

Moving out of the way, Slashing Vengeance peered behind them to see if their mission had been detected. The lack of Rangers appearing out of the woodwork suggested that they hadn't but he wasn't going to press their luck. After what seemed like an eternity, the lock on the door clicked and he pressed the gem on the side. Immediately, he felt a tingle spread through his body and could see a slight ripple just above his skin – almost like a mirage. The door opened and both Trotters slipped in before it closed. Unlike the suspiciously high-security passage they had just come from, the hall leading into the bowels of the Generator Room was surprisingly sparse. There were no laser trip-wires, no false floors concealing hungry manticores and certainly no turrets hanging from the ceiling. It was all so…well, Slashing didn't think the most appropriate words were 'delightfully mundane', but they popped into his mind. If anything, he would have expected more security but he supposed that any intruder that had set off any security system would be dead by now. Still, it was rather unsettling. Shaking his head, he jogged towards Air Sickness to see what had the rotting zombie so damn entranced.

He felt an insane grin creep over his face at the sight.

TBC…


	46. Siphon

AN: Now that _that_ chapter is out of the way, it's back to Rangers of Equestria!

Chapter 46: Siphon

It was truly a beautiful piece of work.

Well, it would have been if he only knew what it was that it did. Since it was inside the Generator Room, Air Sickness could tell that it was a reactor of some kind. That would have been obvious to anyone; however, this wasn't like anything he had ever seen before…even from the time before his 'incident' on Kinbem. There were four central columns that were constructed out of some clear material, something like crystal or glass. He could see the long, spindly bolts of energy crackle and beat against the material, almost like it was itching to be let out. Reaching behind him, his fingers grasped Slashing Vengeance by the throat and pulled the psychopath through the doors just as they slammed closed. True to his nature, the Trotter started sputtering threats about killing him and bathing in his blood, but nothing would come out of it anyway. Dark Hoof was their leader and had decreed that the Trotters would work as one, cohesive unit – no matter the petty differences.

The mind of the former Pegasus worked quickly. He was the one that had been entrusted with the other device, the one Discord didn't know about. Their little infiltration mission would ensure that there was enough power in the Main Generator for an adequate power supply. After all, the Rangers wouldn't notice a small amount being siphoned off and, on the off chance they did, they couldn't do anything about it anyways. Once the device was plugged in and magically transmitting energy, it was practically indestructible until the requisite amount of energy was transferred. Slashing Vengeance only knew that this mission was to infiltrate the Generator Room of the Rangers and to hook up the secondary Bypass device and knew nothing about their main objective. He sighed as he walked behind the reactor, looking for the ports needed.

"Red, blue and yellow…normal colours for wiring."

The Trotter rolled his eyes and bent down, bringing the transmission device out from under his fake wings. If there was to be a cursory inspection of the room after they had vacated, it would look like a piece of machinery and something that had more than likely always been there. There were no jointed legs, pointy appendages or drooling jaws on it and it certainly didn't pulse with any sort of unnatural and radioactive power. He was certain that his Master could have created it to have all those things – and many more – but what would be the point? Even before he had been drafted, he had always prided himself on placing practicality above all else. Life on PGX-856 was dull and uninteresting and one had to be practical to survive in whatever small pockets of atmosphere there was. The actual planetary system that had once rotated around the nearest star had been blown to Hell and back thanks to an energy imbalance in the core of the biggest planet. Its name had been lost to history, but the effect The Cracking had certainly wasn't. His 'parents' had been certain that Zordon had something to do with it but they couldn't be certain.

"Red is plugged in and blue is next."

Great, if Slashing Vengeance had connected the red wire to the device, he had to hurry or risk detection. Pressing the small button on the back of the device, he heard a sharp hiss of steam as the jacks rose up from the underside. Totalling seven, three were for the retrieval of the energy from the reactor and the other four were for the transmission…or something like that. He was rather fuzzy on those details but if everything worked, the Master would arise from his slumber to wreak havoc on those who had dared lift their arms against him. At least, he hoped that was how everything was going to turn out. It was almost ironic as those thoughts were the last 'free' thoughts he had before the Wars. Lining up the ports to the jacks, he carefully pushed the device in and smiled as he heard the muted click. Carefully giving the device an experimental tug, he smirked as it resisted all attempts to be pulled off. Of course, he now couldn't have said that about the PGX-F39 tank he had been unceremoniously shoved in.

"Blue…blue…blue…aqua…turquoise…why is there so many shades of blue?"

That old rust bucket had been a hold-over from one of the earlier wars for energy. The higher-ups had said it was the tank that had smashed through enemy lines and won the war; something that sounded good to the mindless drones, but something that didn't stand a chance against the enemy they were fighting. Back then, it had been just Dark Hoof as the only Trotter but he had been enough to decimate their defences on the first hour alone. The future Master was nowhere to be seen and, if the reports he had heard after his initiation had been correct, he wouldn't want to be anywhere near an asteroid system for a while. Yet, he had fought his hardest to repel the invading forces and hadn't given up the fight…even when he had been told PGX-856 had been vaporised with no survivors. His mind had cracked though and, if he wanted to be honest, hadn't really pulled itself together until Dark Hoof had recruited him.

Those were the days when he was a killing machine on the battlefield. None of the other Trotters knew this, but his species were never winged horses. Instead, they looked like any humanoid species in the galaxy: two arms, two legs and one head. Their bodies weren't suited for anything other than target practice for any of the more aggressive aliens out there and they tried to stay out of sight. However, that plan could only have lasted for so long as infighting within the system had become more and more frequent and attracting attention of some of the aforementioned aliens. After everything had been said and done, he had actually thanked the Master for being the first to notice their petty squabbles. And then his mind had cracked more, but that was neither here nor there.

"Blue is in. Yes. Yellow is the last. Air Sickness, what are you doing? We need to be together for the transport to work!"

Ah, yes, the transportation beam plan…which was one of the most ill-thought out parts of the plan. Hooking up Discord's 'Dark Crystal' to the transport beam system was a sure-fire way for the Rangers to pinpoint their location and perform a raid. All right, maybe they wouldn't perform the raid but they would know where the base was. Yet, everything had been planned by Psychocorn and he knew better than to argue with the unicorn alien. The sockets on his back still ached on cold days. Standing up, he made his way back to Slashing Vengeance with his mind still lost in the past. Dark Hoof had destroyed everything he had cared about in a short amount of time and had been mere moments from snuffing him out. He would never know what stopped the pony monster but would be forever grateful…but that was before the mutation and morphing had begun. Weeks of agony as his flesh was stripped from his bones, only to be replaced in different configurations. He had screamed until his voice had given out as his body was gruesomely rearranged time and time again and the pain was enough to shatter his mind into a billion fragments. The next few years had been hard on him as he began to understand his new body, see what it could do and watch in sadistic glee as the Trotters came together as a group.

Pausing in his reminiscence, he looked around at Slashing Vengeance. The humanoid Earth Pony was finishing the connections to the Bypass device and, with any luck, they would be finished before the Rangers knew anything had happened. The alarms weren't blaring, so that was some small miracle in and of itself. He had worked hard to cling onto a fragment of himself – something that reminded him of his true personality. Of course, his other personalities had buffeted him with insecurity, fear and utter hatred for doing so and had, in the process, shattered his mind into more and more pieces than any sane person could track. On the other hand, no one had said he was that sane to begin with. The direct hit from the beam on Kinbem hadn't been much trouble either…but it had cost him his wings. After roughly three centuries flying around, being forcefully grounded was a nasty shock. In a rather ironic move, he had discarded the name he had been born with and wholeheartedly adopted the moniker 'Air Sickness'. Yet, he hadn't had much time to become used to his new body before all four Trotters were immobilised and sent to another dimension.

"Yellow is in! We are good to go and cloak is disengaging…now."

His eyes widened and he whirled to face Slashing Vengeance, surprised and shocked that his 'companion' would do something so blatantly idiotic. He extended an arm, took a step forward; all for naught as the 'heat shimmer' of protection that had been wrapped around their bodies fell away into nothingness. Air Sickness felt the insanity crawl up his throat once more as whatever scanners the Rangers must have placed in the Generator Room instantly zeroed in on Slashing Vengeance's image. The lights shut off with such abruptness that the former Pegasus thought he had gone blind for a few, terrifying seconds. Revolving red and amber lights descended from the ceiling and his ears were assaulted by the cacophonous wailing of an alarm. Slashing Vengeance, damn him and his stupidity, was standing in utter shock at the activity around him – almost as if he didn't realise that the Generator Room would have ten times the security of the outside halls.

"What happened? I didn't do anything."

"You dropped your damn cloak, that's what happened! You're smarter than me and saner but even I know not to do something as stupid as that! Now come on, we're getting out of here!"

The humanoid pony looked at him with wide eyes, eyes that were only now starting to widen in realisation of what he had done. Air Sickness swore under his non-existent breath and grabbed him by the throat. Pulling the stunned pony close, he sent the signal to Discord – hoping that the humanoid horse had enough sense to work out how the transport beam was supposed to work. Turrets unfurled from the ceiling and began blasting energy at the pair. He hissed in pain as one bolt grazed the side of his wrist and let out an incredulous groan as his own cloak fizzled out. The alarm became louder and the lights flashed and whirled faster…and the doors to the room were opening slowly. He readied himself for a battle before a tingling sensation swept through his body. A second before his vision dissolved to white, the doors opened and the Purple Ranger galloped in. Staring at them in shock, he winked once before collapsing onto the ground of their lair.

"Mission accomplished."

TBC…


	47. Dawning

Chapter 47: Dawning

"Why didn't we know they were here?"

Twilight paced in the Generator Room as Billy looked over the reactors, a hand-held screen in his hands for whatever purpose. The other Rangers were poring over the security footage in the hope that one of them would have picked up something, anything, to make them believe that two Trotters hadn't waltzed into their base and compromised every level of security they had. Princess Celestia was looking over two of the rostered guards that had been found in a derelict alley just outside the Palace. They would walk again, but it would take a lot of rehabilitation. However, any rehab would be in the future. Judging from what she had seen of them, it would be touch and go for the next few hours. Swallowing back the bile creeping up the back of her throat, she cast an eye over the reactors. Everything seemed in place and untouched and the scanners weren't registering a bomb of any kind anywhere in the room, so why was her 'danger sense' going off?

"The system registered a blip on the scanners about ten minutes ago but it was over so fast that the internal CPU relegated it to 'insect' level. With the amount of open windows in the main areas of the Palace, it's a wonder there aren't more insects flying in from outside."

"There are, though Fluttershy usually convinces them to move outside again."

Head jerking up, Billy saw Princess Luna walking through the doors, the former King Sombra at her side. The unicorn seemed to be amazed at the level of technology that provided power to the building and, Billy would have guessed, that it could power the Rangers as well. Suppressing the urge to shake his head, the Midnight Blue Ranger sighed as he looked over the blueprints one more time. The only thing the reactors powered other than the Command Tower were the repair/cleaning systems and the ZARS. No matter how he tried to modify the internal code to run off the Element Crystals, it seemed the nanobots wanted the tangible power source. He would have to ask Weihan if he could modify them to ignore the reactor power. Unfortunately, it seemed no one was answering…which made sense as they would still be in class. He ran his eyes over the parts once more and then looked at the blueprints. Everything seemed to be in order but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed something. Tapping the screen, he pinched his fingers to expand the blueprints into the component pieces. And to think Edward had rolled his eyes when he had said he wanted everything in blueprint form down to the last bolt.

"I guess that makes sense, but they teleported out! I'm sure it wasn't like what Discord, Zedd or Tricksy did before and it was…it was like one of our teleportation beams. I just don't know where they would have gotten the technology for that."

"They have Xonix as their leader now, Twilight. Who knows what he could have brought with him when he arrived."

Billy shook his head at Luna's words. He seriously doubted Xonix could have brought teleportation technology with him and not known what it was. Even with his memory missing, he would have been able to use it effectively to send out scores of his Uni-Golems to all parts of Equestria. Divide and conquer, that was the strategy Zedd had strived to achieve but had only succeeded in pulling them closer. Of course, in the case of the Love Tick monster, the ponies had become closer than ever…but he didn't want to think about that time ever again. He hummed tunelessly to himself as he checked and rechecked the front of the reactor. Everything looked fine and dandy and the energy shield would hold out for a few more millennia, which was enough time for Xonix, Discord, Zedd and what other evil creature that would pop up next to be defeated. By then, he would have upgraded the system anyway and he would even remove the two devices on the side that…didn't seem to be showing up on the blueprints.

"Shit."

The three ponies looked over at him as he scrambled to the first of the strange devices. Grabbing it, he pulled it towards him and looked at the wires that had been connected to it. Tracing the paths back, he felt his stomach plummet to the ground as a chilling realisation swept through him. It was a bypass device that was used to 'hop over' various security systems. With a start, he realised that had the Trotter not dropped his cloak, it would have probably never been discovered at all.

"Billy, what is it?"

The only question was how to release it from the security stations. Unplugging the cables wouldn't get him anything but severely shocked and, though the Healing Tanks could repair the damage, he didn't think shorting out the Command Tower was a very wise idea. Growling under his breath, he recalled every single piece of information he knew about bypass devices and how they could be removed. Disturbingly, he came up blank on the ways to remove them. In his past arrogance, he had thought himself 'invincible' to such devices and hadn't really given much thought to prevention. As they said, prevention was better than a cure…unless that cure would have meant that the preventative measures would actually take hold. Screwing his eyes shut in disgust, he resolved not to think about the bypass device much. After all, a bypass was just that and a bypass through the security system wouldn't work unless there was something nastier at work.

"Bypass device used to pass a system or subroutine to allow something to slip in or past without being noticed. The only issue now is to figure out what would need a bypass of the security protocols."

He shook his head as he scooted over to the second oddity. Funny, that looked to be a part of the power mainframe. That should have been on the blueprints and the seven ports for external routing should be easily visible. So, the question was why was it that he could see the sheet metal that housed the routing system but not the seven ports? Had he made a mistake in the construction of the reactor? He shook his head slowly. Even if that had been the case, he would have spied it immediately or Dimitria, bless her soul but not her weak will, would have pointed out the omission. He scanned the blueprints again, eyes flicking over the metal sheet and the image on the screen. The ports were supposed to be at the bottom left hand corner but there was nothing there…except a slightly raised cap that seemed to be slightly darker than the metal surrounding it.

He reached out with his free hand and ran his fingers over it. Everything seemed to be in order, except if it was supposed to be a cap – where was the hinge? There wasn't even a seam he could see or feel…and that omission of detail sent the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. He had placed the ports but now he couldn't feel them. There had been excess security in the room but it had missed the Trotters. There was a bypass device hooked up to the security protocol terminals and a strange cap on the external ports for the routing subsystems…it either didn't make a whole lot of sense or a genius-level amount of sense. He wasn't sure which one scared him more.

And then, it smashed into him like a ton of bricks.

"Hellfire and damnation! That's what this is!"

The three ponies jumped in shock as Billy threw the diagnostic blueprints across the room, watching the small device shatter against the far wall. Everything became clear in an instant and he knew why the Trotters had come, knew why those two had come instead of the others and knew what their plan was. The only problem would be vocalising it to the others and dealing with the fallout. However, one question kept flashing through his mind.

Why did the Trotters need their power?

TBC…


	48. Secrets and Lies

Chapter 48: Secrets and Lies

"Your will be done, Master."

Discord curled his lips at the sight of Tricksy in front of him. He had absolutely no idea why she had asked to come to his room, asked to be shown the Healing Capsule and asked to have a few moments of alone time with it. Something inside him had made him agree to the first and second requests, albeit warily, but he had requested that he stand outside the open door as she spent a few moments with the occupant. In actuality, he knew she had been meeting with Night Shade behind his back, talking to the pony-alien-warlord thing and having all sorts of ideas crammed into her mind. The only thing that stopped him from killing her outright was that she had sworn her loyalty one hundred percent to him and the True Master. That said, he still had Gilda watch her every move like a hawk – although the humanoid griffin was worrying him slightly.

Since the battles with the Rangers, she had been almost melancholic about the lack of action. Such boredom had led to a slight weakening of whatever spell had warped her mind. As such, she was slowly rediscovering her conscience and compassion which was something that, theoretically at least, could be used the right way to get the desired results. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the type of pony to want to pick apart the festering psychological issues of his warriors. After all, if he had tried that with Night Shade, they would still be talking about slights that happened aeons ago. His strategy had always been to let his warriors deal with things themselves. After all, his army had been comprised of tens of thousands of ponies both loyal and brainwashed; sitting down with all of them and talking would have ground his image into the dirt. Resisting the urge to look behind him, he growled in frustration and flexed his fingers into a fist. The Trotters only served Xonix, who was in a Power Coma or whatever it was called. They were plotting to restore power to the base any way they could, which was why the two stealthiest and, extremely worryingly, most insane warriors were headed deep into enemy territory.

He could have gone, he should have gone. Everything could have progressed nicely and he could have sabotaged their reactors as well. Then there would be no immediate Ranger interference with their plans, meaning they would have at least some time for actual mayhem and destruction before they were driven off. Mayhem and destruction hadn't really been on his side of the table since his first real fight against the Master. True, it had cost him his horn and magic, but the thrill of trading blows with a warrior as fine as he had been was exhilarating. Certainly, it had been a great way to start his freedom but, looking back on the fight now, he had been extremely rusty. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he flicked his eyes to the nearby control panel.

He still had no idea how Dark Hoof and Psychocorn had convinced him to hook the Dark Crystal up to the transportation beam systems, though he suspected more than a pinch of mind manipulation had been used. Whatever the case, the system now had enough juice for one transport. Powering up the base with the Dark Crystal had become a bit of a nightmare for all involved as it seemed the circuit breakers weren't as equipped for the raw power surges as they would have hoped. So the energy shield system had been destroyed and the waste recyclers were barely functioning, at least the life support subsystems and food replication systems hadn't been touched. Plus, there was a large mound of scrap in one of the storage bays that could be fed into the system for…something. Everything would be fine and the Rangers wouldn't know what hit them.

"Lord Discord, the task is complete."

Nodding absently at Tricksy, he looked back into the room where the Healing Capsule was and sighed. That, and its occupant, would be much harder to keep from Xonix. Yet, he couldn't tell Night Shade as he didn't know what the alien creature would do to it. Barring the fact that he was still in the Power Coma, steps and measures had to be put into place to ensure…what, exactly? All of the displays showed that the occupant was practically fully healed as it was and the capsule needed to be opened for the occupant to breathe clean and free air once more. All the pieces were in place but, try as he might, Discord couldn't open the capsule. To expose _him_ to this would be…unthinkable. Of course, it was an inevitable conclusion, but if he could stave off the opening for just a few days more…

The lights on the console started flashing and all thoughts of opening the capsule fled his mind. Pushing past a shocked Tricksy, his claws flew across the buttons and locked onto the two Trotters. Even in the bowels of the Rangers' base, he was amazed that the system locked onto them…almost as if they had been designed by the same person. A year or so ago, he would have scoffed at the very thought but in hindsight…well, there were some things that just didn't really add up. A name etched in one of the walls above the shower, three checkmarks next to seven strange scorch marks on the walls and a yellowed slip of paper with strange numbers on it. Well, maybe Air Sickness could fill him in on whether everything looked similar or not; however, due to the limited time they could be in the base before the cloaking talismans wore off, he seriously doubted any information would be of use. Moving the exit point from his, admittedly spacious but potentially controversial, quarters, he chose to deposit both of them in the Main 'Command Area'. Pressing down on the confirmation button, he smirked as the control panel gave a beep of acknowledgement before dying out in a slow whine.

"You idiot! Dropping your cloak in a high security area was just asking for trouble!"

Judging from the shouts he could hear from Air Sickness, everything had gone off without a hitch. Ushering Tricksy out of his quarters, he closed the door and sealed it with his biorhythms. Unless they were a master hacker, no one but himself would be getting through the doors. Rolling his eyes at the stuttered reply coming from Slashing Vengeance, he could only imagine at what feat of utter idiocy had made the grounded Pegasus creature scream at him. On the other hoof, maybe it would be for the best if he didn't know. Making his way to the Command Area, he snuck one last look at the sealed door to his quarters. He would open the capsule very soon.

And then Lord Zedd would rule once more.

TBC…


	49. Unknown Devices

Chapter 49: Unknown Devices

"This is not good."

Billy rubbed his eyes as he looked at the data on the screen. The events of the previous day were still fresh in his mind and, to top it all off, the Ultra Rangers couldn't even lend their assistance. It seemed there had been a slightly greater crisis on the other side of the barrier, culminating in the completion of yet another Ranger-ish team and the abrupt departure of the Orange Ranger from Earth. Whatever could have set that chain of events off, he hadn't the slightest inclination but there was no denying that they wouldn't be getting any help for a while. He chuckled mirthlessly as he recalled the young redhead girl talking to him about the ways they had tried to keep him on-planet. He doubted most of them would work, if tried, but the mental image of the Orange Ranger being held down by chains was absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, they were now back at square one – with no idea why the Trotters needed their power.

Wild explanations ranging from a new weapon to a hot shower ran rampant in Billy's mind but that had led him nowhere. He had even checked and rechecked the logs for their abandoned base to see if there was a hint of suspicious activity; however, apart from the normal fluctuations emitted by the cooling power rods, everything appeared to be fine. Shaking his head, he looked over at the Dimensional doorway and sighed. With the Ultra Rangers not able to lend a hand, they were on their own…unless he could decipher the strange signals that kept popping up on the radar every now and then. If he didn't know better, he would have stated they were coming from his home dimension but to think that was a self-important indulgence. Besides, with their new powers and abilities, he doubted Tommy and the others would need him for anything. Plus, taking into account the regularity of new Rangers popping up out of nowhere, they wouldn't need his help anymore.

"What is it? Did you find something about the devices?"

He bit his lip and glanced over to where Rainbow Dash was. The Blue Ranger had her own stack of papers and diagrams to look over and, while she had complained bitterly about being forced to do something for the 'eggheads', she was actually finding things that everyone else had missed. He supposed that being forced to work on her Zords and continually being in training was making her reconsider her stance on reading things other than Daring Do and Wonderbolts schedules. He was actually shocked she had managed to rediscover the old subroutines for the hall turrets as they had been buried under the constant updates and tweaks he had done over the years. Eyes focusing back to the data, he recited the sentence in front of him under his breath and wondered when the ice on his back would stop forming.

"It's just something strange about that power transmitter and how it locked in so well to the ports, which were for sending as well as receiving. Now, I don't know if it will happen, but you can be sure whoever created that device knew about the receivers as well. I have a feeling something is about to…"

He bit off the end of the sentence as a light on a far console caught his attention. Swearing loudly, he raced over to the panels and started typing in commands. He could feel a slight breeze behind him, informing him that the Blue Ranger was hovering behind him. He ignored her questions and brought up the recent events log. There was nothing out of the ordinary and everything showed normal operations. Shaking his head slowly, he forced himself to relax and wondered if he had just imagined everything. After all, they had continued to receive signals from the old outpost for quite a while after the move to Canterlot had been finalised. Hell, he had even gone into the 'ruins' a few times to personally ensure everything had been switched off, ripped out or destroyed. Rolling his shoulders, he stood up and turned around, narrowly missing Rainbow's head smashing into his nose.

"Well? What was it?"

"It was nothing but an errant signal from the old outpost. A small amount of data was transferred, but that's probably the backup power regulator receiving the instructions for a testing cycle. Nothing more than that."

The Blue Ranger looked unconvinced, but she slowly nodded. Applejack had been trying to get her out of her habit of always questioning things that didn't sit right with her but it had been slow going. Semi-regular talks with Spitfire had helped her somewhat, but the leader of the Wonderbolts wasn't really about serious heart-to-heart talking. It had seemed like a drastic turnaround since the last time they had really talked but, on the other hoof; Rainbow knew that there were other matters behind the scenes. The newest Wonderbolts recruit, still fresh out of training camp, had been taken to task after executing a number of visually stunning, but extremely dangerous and risky, flight manoeuvres at a recent show. Both Spitfire and Soarin knew that Lightning Dust would become a great companion…once all of her rough edges were smoothed out. There was even talking, off the record of course, that the new recruit would be spending a week or two with the Rangers to see how they operated. Whenever that day rolled around, it would be rather interesting to say the least.

Lifting a hoof, she ruffled her mane and sighed as she watched Billy mutter something to himself. She certainly wasn't one for prolonged periods of studying schematics and diagrams, but she knew that the only way for her to improve her capabilities was if she knew what her Zord was capable of. Well, besides flying fast, kicking flanks and merging with Applejack's Zord in a strangely sexual way. The two of them had come together closer than before but it seemed like their relationship was being pushed to the side since the return of Discord. Of course, it was just her imagination because their duties as Rangers came first, but it was extremely frustrating to her. Talks with Pinkie Pie had made absolutely no sense either as the Pink Ranger had gone on and on about random things like storyline tangents, some freaky alien chick named Zriac and how some 'higher power' didn't really know how to write believable relationships between two females.

Like she said, random.

"Come on, Billy. You can't know everything at once. We didn't expect you to download Dimitria's mind into your body when she defected and she wouldn't have known about the Trotters either."

Billy rolled his shoulders and nodded in agreement. While they had mostly gotten over Dimitria's betrayal due to the stash of information she had stowed away, any mention of the Inquiran slightly unnerved them. It was foolish of them to be thinking that way, as she wasn't likely going to pop inside a window or tower and dispense cryptic advice. Shining Light had a better chance of that…even if the Earth Pony was nothing more than pure energy. Shaking his head, he mumbled something about getting something to eat and shuffled out of the room, leaving the data still on the terminal. With a slow shake of her head, Rainbow Dash followed – not bothering to turn off the consoles. As the doors slid shut, the data on the screen began to flicker. Several words jumped around the screen erratically and in a manner that suggested something terribly wrong was happening. With a crackle of static, the data on the screens vanished with a white pop and blueprints filled the space. They scrolled through faster than anyone could comprehend. However, they were all for the same device,

The Dimensional Door.

TBC…


	50. Inside the Grid

AN: 50 chapters already…hit this milestone on 24/4/13.

Chapter 50: Inside the Grid

"We're all clear on what needs to be done, right?"

Seeing them nod in front of him calmed Billy's nerves somewhat, but did nothing to push down the ever-encroaching wall of horrified amazement at the lengths that they had gone to. Of course, there was no sense in beating himself up over it now as the data, once sent, couldn't be recovered. On the other hand, if he could stop the system damage that was being done to the Elemental Morphin Grid…well, than would have to do for now. All the necessary adjustments to the suits had been done and he was certain they would be able to track down the creature responsible. The only question left in his mind was where on Equestria they had managed to get a creature that could cause that magnitude of damage on such a short time period? As the Midnight Blue, Purple and Green Rangers began their final checks, Billy's mind flashed back to the events that had happened only a few short hours ago.

Flashback

_The wailing of the alarm jerked him from his sleep._

_Billy stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to pull himself out of his sleep and the remarkably strange dream he had been having. Incredibly, it had been about his days on Aquitar and the happiness he had felt before…well, before everything had gone straight to Hell. It had been more than two and a half years since he had dreamt about anything other than strangely disjointed images and sounds, so to have a fully coherent dream was a first. Shaking his head slightly and banishing the images from the forefront of his mind, he slowly sat up in his bed and rubbed his face. The alarm was still going but it wasn't the general siren of the attack alert. Instead, it seemed to be going off at random intervals, three fast beeps and then one long and droning whirring. If he didn't know better, he would have said that it was a warning that a monster or foreign body had accessed the Elemental Morphin Grid. Yet, that was preposterous as the only way one could have done that without having a mass of spells and barriers blocked in the path would be…_

_Oh shit._

_His mind began racing at a million miles as he leapt out of bed and struggled to pull some clothes on. The transmitting device worked both ways and if power or whatever could be transmitted, it was a sure bet that things could be received as well. Summoning his Morpher, he concentrated on its link to the Grid and mentally followed it back to the source. He felt his spirit leave his body and dive into the earth below his feet, seeing everything with his mind's eye. Tunnelling into the bedrock, past the fossils of ancient creatures and dragons that had existed long before ponykind and, at long last, into the vast wellspring of power that lay at the heart of the planet. He hovered above the shimmering mass of energy and raw power for a brief moment, before diving into its depths._

_He had heard, once, that an Alpha unit had been able to traverse the channels of Earth's Morphin Grid and had mentioned the interior being similar to circuitry. He had theorised with Dimitria, Ninjor and Edward that the robot had seen circuits because that was what had been inside it and the Grid had taken a snapshot of that to make it easier for the blockage to be cleared. On the other hand, he had been inside the Grid for a few brief moments and had seen nothing but his own torturous memories. He knew he could handle seeing Cestria shot in front of him if he was allowed to progress past…but it would be extremely hard. Closing his eyes as he passed through the barrier, he felt a shiver run through his 'body'. He knew he should only spend as much time in the Grid as necessary to find the source of the disturbance but it would be impossible to tell how much time would be passing. As his 'feet' touched something similar to solid ground, he looked around him. _

_He was standing in a grassy field with a blue and black paved path under his feet. The sky was a brilliant blue and wisps of pure white clouds lazily wafted across. Every so often, the illusion would crackle in a display of power and energy to reveal that all was not well. He could have told as much even if he hadn't sighted the armoured insect creature ripping up everything. Soaring towards the monster and wondering how in the world it knew what to destroy, he struck at it with everything he could muster. His hands passed through the beast, which carried on with destruction if nothing had happened. Snarling under his breath, Billy angled his body up towards the 'surface' and began the rather swift journey back to his body. Coming back to his senses, he shook his arms and legs once before silencing the alarm._

_They needed to act…fast._

_End Flashback_

Of course, things hadn't been that simple. He had thought about gathering all six Rangers to leap into the Grid with him but that wouldn't have been the best of ideas. When he had voiced it to Rainbow dash, the normally brash and arrogant Pegasus had shot that plan down with a shake of her head and a flick of her tail. He had been modifying the Power Matrixes for Inter-Grid travel but had stopped after the modifications to the Morphers of himself, Twilight and Rarity at her answer. The Blue Ranger had argued that that could, in theory, play directly into the hands of the Trotters. As had been stated the day before, the Ultra Rangers weren't going to continually travel back and forth to Equestria to pull their tails out of any messes. Canterlot, Ponyville and wherever else they decided to attack would be under threat because the entire team were in the Grid. Grudgingly, he had to admit that she was right and chuckled to himself as he reflected on how much Rainbow Dash had changed since her mini-breakdown two years earlier. Still, that left him with an Ursa sized dilemma on his hands: which Rangers would accompany him into the Grid? In hindsight, he should have seen the light slap on the head coming.

Convincing the two Rangers had been easier said than done. Twilight had all but jumped at the gun but then she had started asking questions about the internal structure of the Grid, what it would look like and how they would be moving around. When he let slip that he had been inside the Grid on more than one occasion, she had questioned him to within an inch of his sanity, much to the rather amused looks of the other Rangers and Royals. After she had been pulled off by Pinkie did Rarity ask a reasonable and practical question: how would they minimise the damage done to the Grid if they were to be fighting against the monster? In truth, he had been wondering about that ever since he had set 'eyes' on the creature. What guarantee did he have that their weapons wouldn't damage the Grid further and, quite possibly, finish the job the monster had started? His answer had been one of resignation; he didn't know what would happen within the Grid but taking the monster down was their first and foremost priority. He had no answer to the question if they would be able to use their Zords or not but with the collateral damage that using them led to…well, he would cross that bridge when it came.

The plan was for them to move through the Grid as a team to combat whatever nasty surprises the monster may have left for them. Though it hadn't reacted to his earlier attack, there was no doubt in his mind that it knew the Rangers were coming. He doubted there would be Uni-Golems, Z-Centaurs or even Tengas to hinder them, but if the monster had wrecked the Grid's defences enough…he shuddered at what the implications could mean. The other issue was opening a portal into the Grid. Theoretically, it could be done with a massive concentration of Morphin Energy but it would only hold open for a very short time. He still didn't know how fast time flowed in the Grid but he wasn't willing to risk any of the Rangers burning out their inherent magic or Powers for them. So, he'd improvised up an opener that would only work four times. He seriously doubted any of them would need to go into the Grid after this but, on the other hoof, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"We'll stay here and watch fer any attacks. Ah reckon there may be one soon."

"Way to spoil the mood, AJ."

Shaking his head at the two Rangers, Billy steadied his breathing. To ensure that nothing interfered with the transition into the Grid, they would be going in unmorphed. It was an extremely large risk but seeing as the alternative was a long and seemingly unending death by atom stripping…well, it was the lesser of two evils. They would morph inside the Grid if the situation called for it but Billy was somewhat concerned; morphing inside a place as powerful as a Morphin Grid could, in theory, destabilise everything and leave both sides powerless. Well, that was based on the theory that Xonix, Discord and the Trotters drew from the Elemental Grid. The chance of that happening was less than zero. And yet, try as Billy might to come up with something else, it was their best solution. Plucking the remote-shaped device from the console it was resting on; he ran his fingers over the central button slowly. Giving a final nod to Princess Celestia, he pressed it in.

From the ether sprang a strange portal that seemed to be three-dimensional in nature. From his vantage point, the Midnight Blue Ranger could see it had height, width and depth…a seemingly endless amount of depth. For the briefest of moments, he closed his eyes and bit back the veritable tsunami of vertigo that swamped his body. Pulling himself together, he remembered all of the times in the past where he had faced impossible odds in the hope of making the world, his friends and family safe once more. His thoughts flashed to the Ultra Rangers on the other side of one of the many dimensional walls around him and their seemingly endless struggle against Xonix and his freakishly thought out plans. As he stepped into the abyss, his thoughts turned to the battles with the other Morphin Rangers and their departure from his life once more. Although he missed them dearly, his life was in Equestria with the Rangers; something he honestly couldn't imagine living without. As the energy of the Grid washed over him, his body felt the familiar warmth before an icy chill flooded his senses. Eyelids that had automatically closed snapped open to see he and the other two Rangers were slowly being sucked into an opaque void. Just past the 'hole', he could see the familiar green grass and the strange pathway but, try as he might, he couldn't angle his body towards it.

Darkness swallowed his vision and he knew no more.

TBC…


	51. Fighting Memory

Chapter 51: Fighting Memory

"That was some dream…"

Billy stared up at the ceiling and shook his head slowly. The images that had run through his mind were crazy and, if he was entirely honest with himself, rather unbelievable. He wondered if he had taken a bad hit in the previous day's battle and that had somehow scrambled his mind. Realistic as that scenario was, it was highly unlikely as Zeltrax's ire was directed more at the White and Pink Rangers than him. After all, it wasn't like he was going to go out of his way to harm the two new arrivals that had teleported in from space. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he reached for his glasses and looked out the window. He was on Earth yet again, having received the call from Tommy that one of his old enemies had somehow come back from total destruction. Initially, he had been at a loss as to what he could do as his Powers were practically non-existent, but Tommy had proposed a plan. It had taken some cajoling from Delphine and Cestro before he was ready to pull it off, but he couldn't argue that the results were worth the immeasurable risk.

He had journeyed back to the distant planet of Phaedos with the former Ninjetti Rangers while the remnants of the Zeo, Astro and Aquitar teams waged a losing war of attrition with Zeltrax. On the planet of the Ninjetti, they had reconnected themselves with their Spirit Animals and their Zords. Teleporting back just in time, they had stopped the penultimate attack of Zeltrax's monster army from obliterating the Rangers and had driven them back. The other Rangers were still on standby in case of emergencies but since then, every attack had been adhering to the standard 'send monster down to X' plan every villain seemed to slip into. The monsters were strange aberrations as well, not like the strange hybrid creatures Tommy had said were sent down previously but truly horrifying creatures. He was still trying to scrub the sights of the animated wood chipper out of his mind and its massacre of several civilians.

However, all the strangeness he had seen during the unusually long campaign was nothing compared to the strange flashes he had seen in the dream. Horses were a common element and he had sworn there were six of them that were Rangers, though that was impossible. Research into the Morphin Grid had stated that there was no way any non-humanoid entity could wield the powerful energies of a Ranger. If they tried, they would be destroyed within moments as the Power consumed them from within. However, it could theoretically work if the entities had been exposed to magic or energy strong enough to change their physiologies. Of course, everything would be stuck squarely in the realm of fantasy. He wasn't sure Alpha was robust enough to survive another trip into the Grid to confirm the theory and if anything happened to him…well, it wouldn't end well. Pushing himself off the bed, he closed his eyes as an image flashed up in his mind's eye. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been more different from the dream if he had actively tried. He could see a blue and black paved path stretching off into the distance while smoke and steam obscured his vision. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost hear distant explosions.

Shaking his head, he began pulling on his work clothes. The auxiliary capacitors for the Ninja Megazord's power punch seemed slightly off in the last battle and he wanted to check the connections. It would probably turn out to be yet another literal bug in the system but it was better to fix it now than have it crop up once more. In fact, with all the barely open ports along the sides of some of the Zords, it was a miracle that such occurrences didn't happen more often. In fact, it was a rarity that he found things inside the Zords that were larger than a Bogong moth. He shuddered to think of the destruction that would happen if a Parasprite got in, though they couldn't really eat the metal of the interior. Unless they had been enchanted to eat everything except food, but Pinkie had informed him a while back that the swarm had had an unfortunate 'accident' with the supposed coral at the bottom of the Aqua Fortis Lake. Whether or not that technically counted as food was still off the table for him…well, as long as the food replicators continued to work.

Blinking in confusion at the strange, yet somehow familiar, stream of thoughts, he shook his head again and looked behind him at the sleeping form. The figure was stretched out with her head buried into the pillow and he fought to keep the smile from spreading over his face. It was hard to believe she had survived the attack on Aquitar with nothing more than a scratch, even after being blasted at extremely close range. It was pure luck that she had shifted slightly to the left as the blast was fired. Rygog had cursed and had re-aimed the blaster…only for the light of Zordon's energy to wash over him – utterly destroying the alien for good. The recovery had been excruciatingly difficult and he had thought to fall into despair at several points. Salvation had come in the rather unlikely form of Divatox and Delphine working together to form a force that would roam the Universe, looking for those that had survived. He had called together the strongest mages and sorcerers as a separate group and had tasked them with destroying the most powerful sources of evil still existing. As it turned out, the Zordon Wave, or Z-Wave, had a remarkably short reach. She had awakened after the report of the first victory.

"Is everything all right?"

He blinked, slightly startled as he looked up at two soft brown eyes. Even after all the shit they had been through, Fate had smiled down on Tommy and Kim and had drawn them together once more. He was extremely fortunate he had the foresight to sound-proof the rooms in Tommy's house as he didn't think he would have gotten much sleep. There was also the fact that he didn't want to think of Kim in that way as she hadn't said anything when he had last seen her. Plus, she was with Tommy and there had been a lot of confusion when she was in her Pegasus from before one of the battles. Wait…she had never before been turned into a Pegasus as it would most likely be a permanent body change unless the entity had enough power for a change-back. He had always wondered how Zedd had done that to Kim or if it had been some sort of shift in the Ninjetti energy. Shaking his body slightly, he managed a weak smile at the woman as she looked at him.

"Yeah, it's just a strange dream last night is creeping into my thoughts. Everything felt so real and…I don't know. Maybe it's stress from the last attack or something…"

He watched as she shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder. As he walked out of the room, he couldn't help but look back at the form on the bed and smile. He had wondered what would become of his life if there had been slight changes to the flow of time. What would have happened if she hadn't moved slightly or what would he have done if the healing of Zordon's energy wasn't enough to save her? Would he have been consumed by rage and grief, thinking that everything was out to get him or would he have accepted that there was nothing that could have been done? If he were to think along that same vein of thought: what would have happened if the sorcerers hadn't captured and destroyed the destructive essence that had escaped the Z-Wave? There were still a number of questions regarding where it could have come from and how it could have become so powerful but, unfortunately, those questions would never be answered. It was nigh-impossible to get things out of a black hole…even if the thing was a nebulously defined being of energy. Apparently the purified Zedd had recently said something about a mass of evil he had had in himself but they had paid it no heed. After all, there was nothing they could do, in all honesty, to Edward or Rita anyway.

"Are you sure? Maybe you're really in the dream and what you saw in the dream is reality."

He shook his head slowly, gazing at the scenery outside the window. Reefside never looked so good and hardly showed any signs of the earth-shredding battle that had ensued the previous day. Zeltrax was wizening up faster than he would have liked and had divided the team with two separate monster attacks. He needed to recalibrate the subspace emitter to allow them to pull out the Shogun Megazord's Fire Sabre in the coming battles…otherwise everything would be increasingly trudging towards their destruction. He had been sketching out some ideas for his Ninjazord as well, giving it a humanoid mode with a cryogenic ice laser as a finisher. The only issue he could see with the design was the power source. As it were, the Ninjetti Coins couldn't generate enough raw energy to power a design of that complexity. This didn't mean the Monolith was flawed in any way, it just wasn't meant to handle human-created Zord designs. Bringing his attention to what Kim had said, he shook his head once more and clenched his right hand into a fist. Everything seemed so real from the wood under his feet to the coolness of the glass; to think he was trapped in a dream world was an indulgent fantasy he didn't want to entertain. However, if it was reality, then why shouldn't he stay in the dream where his friends were all together?

_Midnight Blue Ranger, please open your eyes._

The voice echoed inside his head as his right foot hovered above the first step. Whatever it was, Kim was acting as if she hadn't heard it and no one was rushing up the stairs screaming about a new psychic monster. Descending the stairs, he began turning the words over and over in his mind. If it had been a new monster, it would have called him Blue Ranger…but it hadn't. Shaking his head slightly as to not alarm Kim any further, he walked to the kitchen and communal eating area – smiling as he saw the large pile of food on one of the tables. Picking up a plate, he placed the strange banana bread/waffle hybrid Rocky had concocted on a rather slow day. Drizzling it with a thin ribbon of syrup, Billy wondered why the voice had called him by an obscure shade of blue and not his 'normal' designation. It wasn't as if there was another Blue Ranger on the team or anything. Taking a bite of the bread/waffle and allowing the combination of banana and vanilla to roll over his tongue, he voiced the name to himself. Strangely, the designation felt…right, almost as if he was the Midnight Blue Ranger and not the Blue Ninjetti; of course, such a thing would be impossible as no Ranger could hold more than one Power at a time. An image flashed up in his mind of a strange Ranger in Orange armour, effortlessly switching between powers whilst cutting down monsters. No, that Ranger was nothing more than an indulgent and fantastical image conjured by his subconscious.

_What do we do? He's not responding and it didn't take this long for us to wake up._

Another voice flittered along the edges of his awareness. This time, there was a distinct level of distress flowing through the words. The voice was slightly higher pitched as well and held an accent that he couldn't really identify. Honestly, it sounded like someone trying to imitate a sort of upper-class British accent…and failing. He tried to push the voices to the back of his mind as he finished his breakfast. One waffle wasn't enough to satiate him but he had to get the bugs out before they were literally cooked into the system. Chipping away at solidified bug guts was not the way he wanted to spend the morning, but it would have to do for now. Sliding his empty plate into the dishwasher, he pressed the panel next to the fridge, opening up the small elevator that would take him down to the Zord Hangar Bays. Of course, given time and the right equipment, the Zords could be stored in subspace but there was something about working on them physically that just felt right. Summoning his Power Coin from its 'pocket', he swiped it in front of the scanner and waited for the confirmation beeps. Pressing it into the palm of his right hand, he didn't see the faint blue-black tendril of energy crackle over the face of the coin, momentarily changing it into a spherical gem.

_He needs to get through this on his own. All we can do is wait._

He squeezed his eyes shut as the lift descended. Logic dictated there was no real reason for him to be affected by these voices; however, he couldn't deny the fact that some part of his mind knew them. He could almost make out their features in his mind's eye – unicorns, one with light purple fur and the other white, one with a three toned mane of black, purple and pink and the other a solid purple and both with ornate golden jewellery on their bodies. The strange thing was, and he had no idea how he knew this, he felt as if he had worked on those devices personally. He could 'see' the flairs and embellishments he would have crafted into the design, but he had no idea how it was possible. An alternate dimension was one possibility, but he wasn't even sure if they existed besides the scant notices and references he had found in Zordon's notes. If only they could have gotten their Project Ultra off the ground he wouldn't be in his current situation. Everything would be handled with the wave of a hand, setting off a chain of explosions that ripped through the bowels of the Grid around him…

Wait…no, that wasn't right either. One Ranger, no matter how powerful, couldn't face down such oppressive odds by his or herself. So that would mean a team would have to be formed…which aligned with the twelve Rangers he had seen in the dream; a dream that was starting to seem more and more like reality. Heaving a small sigh, he looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes – not seeing the panelling twist and contort. All right, if he was in this dream world, what purpose would it serve? Would it be like a kind of security blanket of sorts, something akin to a system to deter unwanted intruders or something accidentally tripped due to the presence of organic life? He shook his head for what seemed like the millionth time that morning, his mind racing at a billion miles an hour as he tried to process his thoughts. He would have to run a few experiments to see which world was the 'correct' one…that was, if the strange voices and pain flashes didn't drive him insane.

_The monster is coming closer! Why couldn't we have landed somewhere else?_

He hissed in pain as a ripple of agony lanced behind his eyes. Holding out a hand to steady himself on the walls, he opened his eyes as the doors opened…and for a split second, he could see a different environment. He was looking up as the two unicorns stood in front of him, facing down a creature that Zeltrax would have given his right leg to design. Armoured and chitinous, the insectoid creature towered over them with sparks of electricity dancing over four of its arms. The two ponies seemed to shift their bodies into a pre-Morph stance…and then the world solidified back into the darkened hall that led to the Zord Bay. Shaking the sensation off as much as he could, he began walking down the hall and ignored the voices in his mind that seemed to scream at him that everything around him was wrong. Pushing open the door to the Hangar Bay, he looked up at the majestic forms of the Ninjazords before frowning slightly at the sight of the white and red humanoid robots in the corner. He had made it adamantly clear to the Aquitian Rangers that their Battle Borgs were to be kept off-planet as their energies would interrupt the Shogunzord links. As it was, he would be having a difficult time enough with cracking the seal on the 'Grid Storage' as he would need all seven Powers to unlock the coding Zordon's death had placed on it.

No…that was wrong. There were only six Ninjetti Powers, not seven. Shaking his head, he crouched low and pried open the lowest access hatch on the Wolf Ninjazord. A wave of déjà vu washed over him for the briefest of instants and he frowned, wondering why his mind was telling him that he had done this before. Well, of course he had done this in the past as the Zords had always needed some degree of maintenance and, more often than not, he was the one to repair them. He didn't know exactly how Tommy had managed to keep the Zords running, let alone stable, during his first campaign but had managed to keep his doubts silenced. The last thing any of them needed was for him to begin questioning the supposed decisions of the leader. Absently hissing in pain as he smacked his forehead on a low-hanging cable, a sense of foreboding and dawning realisation crept over his mind as he realised there had been a crucial component missing from the hit – there was no pain in the area. Curious and slightly alarmed at the lack of reception, he tried once more; smacking his head as hard as he could into the side of the access tunnel. There was a dull thunk and his eyes rolled around for a few seconds due to the impact but there was still no pain and, curiously, he could swear that the voices were somewhat louder.

_Rarity! I know I said to get Billy away from the monster but rolling him down? I hope this doesn't mess with him waking up…_

"Billy, are you all right?"

He looked behind him to see Cestria looking back at him, concern etched on her features. For the briefest of moments her face warped into an equine Ranger helmet with a star-shaped visor but, as quickly as it had appeared, whirled away. He smiled wanly and began slowly backing out, not caring if he bumped his head on anything. Something was up and he was determined to get to the bottom of it…even if that meant he would be leaving her again. He continued to think as he emerged from the access tunnel; something had happened or was happening outside his conscious awareness…something that was threatening the world around him. It wasn't Zeltrax for sure, that menace had been dealt with a long time ago and it wasn't Zedd as he had been destroyed in the blast two years ago. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered that they hadn't actually confirmed his destruction and he could still be out there, hiding in the depths of Discord's basement. For some reason, that mental image made him cringe rather than chuckle.

_We need to combine our weapons! Force the monster to draw back for a while!_

"Are you all right? You seem unnaturally pale."

The two voices seemed to blend in with each other, each vying for his attention in ways he couldn't adequately describe. There was a choice hanging over his head but he wasn't sure of which one to take. Sending up a prayer to Celestia, he reached out with his mind and chose the one where his friends needed him the most. A split-second later, his mind opened up once more to the reality of his situation and he knew what had happened. The Elemental Grid wasn't meant for living beings to venture into and they had triggered a security system of sorts. Blinking the incredulity out of his eyes, he looked around him and could easily see the tiny tears in reality, where the fantasy world was trying its hardest to keep him in a bubble of safety. Chuckling once, he wondered what would have happened to him if the other choice was made and froze as he saw the figure sitting next to him.

"Cestria…how are you here?"

The image of Cestria tilted its head in a surprisingly realistic manner before sighing softly. Lifting up its right arm, it clicked the fingers together once – the sound seemingly shattering the world around them. Everything fell away and he was left staring at an impossibly deep black void where there was nothing…except the Cestria doppelganger. As his false memories from the other worlds bled away, he watched as the figure blurred slightly and separated into two separate individuals. One was the familiar ghostly form of Cestria, _his _Cestria who had died all those years ago on Aquitar. She was still clad in the same flowing blue gown he had seen her in and her eyes held a mix of sadness and pride. A thin band of gold encircled her head and her hands were behind her back. He wanted to run towards her and embrace her as he had done back then, but held back as the second form coalesced.

"It can't be…"

Four hooves touched the ground as the light brown coat and white mane materialised. The legs carried her forward as her body formed from the visible particles of energy she had dissolved in to. Eyelids opened up to reveal irises that were continually shifting colour, making Billy gasp in wonderment and surprise.

"Shining Light?"

TBC…


	52. Light of Hope

Chapter 52: Light of Hope

There was no way it was possible.

He rubbed his eyes, still unsure if what he was seeing was actually real. Billy's mouth opened and closed wordlessly as the Earth Pony smiled in amusement. Cestria also seemed humoured by his reaction to seeing them but her eyes held a tinge of sorrow and he, somewhat belatedly realised, she had seen everything that had happened to him in the dream void…or whatever the hell that experience had been. Slumping down onto the ground, he slowly shook his head and tried to see into the darkness and help the other Rangers. Judging from what he had heard in the other reality, they were about five minutes away from losing everything they were fighting to protect.

"I am here, with you and with her."

He nodded dumbly before catching himself. Shining Light had sacrificed herself to purify the Dark Rangers and had vanished into nothingness. If that was the case, why was she in the Grid with the spirits of fallen Rangers? Why was she here and not someone like Aisha or even Zordon? Hell, he would even kind of expect Dimitria to be floating around in the deepest parts of the Grid…but he wasn't going to complain over a minor triviality. Closing his eyes, he cast his mind back to the long talks he had had with Zordon regarding the nature of the Grid and what would happen to their spirits, or soul essences as Zordon had put it, when they died. The ancient mentor said that everything had been created by Ancients and left to their own devices…something that had, as a man of science, confused him greatly as both the theory of evolution and Creation myths were true. As the Orange Ranger had found out, there really was a fire-and-brimstone place called Hell inhabited by the souls of the wicked and unjust. On the flipside, there should have been a place where the good and 'pure' souls went when they died, though he was a tad fuzzy on what it should have been called.

"This is all a bit…I mean, that wasn't real was it? Me in Reefside with Tommy and the others; that was all a dream…wasn't it?"

Shining Light shook her head slowly as Cestria smiled sadly. He nodded in understanding. As he was in the Morphin Grid, it was possible that other dimensions could be connected in some way to them, dimensions other than his home dimension and the world of the Ultra Rangers. Or maybe they were connections to other timelines in the connected dimensions, things that could have come to pass if certain milestones were missed. If Cestria hadn't died, he would be still on Aquitar or possibly on Earth, helping out with the Samurai Rangers. If Zedd hadn't made it through the dimensional barrier, would he be fighting against him on another planet? He was brought out of his musings by the grave urgency in Cestria's voice.

"Billy, this is no time to be thinking of such things. Dark Hoof has sent a monster into the Grid to attack the information storage. Of all Rangers, you should understand the grave threat this poses."

Billy nodded once, the seriousness of the situation finally dawning on him. As with all Grids, the Elemental Morphin Grid held a repository of information that contained every single piece of knowledge that was granted to the Rangers it powered. Outside information such as schematics or attack plans were also stored as energy but the security safeguards on the Grid would keep intruders out. If, by some random chance, a monster or creature did manage to obtain some of the data, it couldn't be retrieved by anyone else unless there was a special extractor created. He vaguely remembered setting one up at the temporary outpost but that was unfinished and, if used, it would more than likely blow up. He doubted Xonix would have the capacity to find the outpost, let alone fix the extractor.

"What is being sought is not blueprints but co-ordinates."

Billy frowned. Blueprints were a dime a dozen in the information store and, depending on the links to the other Grids, could potentially have designs and rough sketches for all the weapons the Rangers had ever used or would ever use. Surely any attack to the Grid would focus on those instead as co-ordinates wouldn't really get anyone anywhere without a…Billy trailed off the thought in his mind, the realisation finally sinking into his bones. Everything made sense about the transmitter the Trotters had placed onto the Reactor and why he hadn't been able to immediately decipher what the device was for. If they had placed the device and sent the monster over the signal, it would have been intercepted by the shields and scanners, exposing their plan for all to see. He was kicking himself that he had fallen into the trap of thinking Xonix would work in the same circles as Zedd and do everything in an overtly obvious way. What had probably happened was that the monster had been digitised, possibly in the same way as the Psycho Rangers had years earlier, and implanted into the device. Digital energy and data could have easily penetrated the shielding and firewalls around the Grid so the monster could start wreaking havoc in its search. Of course, that was exactly what had happened. The burning question now, of course, was how would he get into the Grid from the void he was in now?

"Billy, you already know the answer to the problem."

He hoped the answer wasn't to click his heels three times while thinking that there was no place like home but, knowing his luck, he wouldn't be too surprised if it was something along those lines. He frowned and thought back to everything that had happened since he had been inside the Grid, namely the waking dream in which he was in Reefside, battling a revived Zeltrax but still seeing and hearing everything that was going on around him. He hadn't really questioned _why_ he was receiving those sounds and visions; he had just noticed that it was something to maybe check out in the future – after the Zords had been serviced. It wasn't something that seemed to bother him that much and he had only, really, started to see what was behind the veil if he looked at one place for a few moments longer than necessary. Could the answer really be that simple?

"What will happen to you two?"

Shining Light trotted up to him and pressed her muzzle in his side in mock annoyance. Honestly, she had absolutely no idea how she had managed to 'survive' her energy body being destroyed. The last real memory she had after the spell had been cast was speaking to the Orange Ranger after the supposed destruction of Zedd. There had been no indication that the Ranger had heard her or not as, as she had said, it took too much concentration to maintain a direct communications link. If the Rangers could channel more of their power into their attacks, she maybe would be able to implant several strategies into their minds but, as it was now, she was extremely limited in her abilities. The problem was that in order to send strategies and attacks to the Rangers, she needed to build up the strength that had been lost when she had converted the Dark Rangers back to the side of Good. If she had just allowed the remaining energy in her body to dissipate naturally, she would be able to do such a feat but…well; she guessed that was just the way the cookie crumbled. Her conversations with Cestria and the mysterious entity that called itself the Phantom Ranger had told her that in the potential-soaked energy of the Grid, all things were possible.

"We will stay in the Grid. We will wait the time which you all, inevitably, join us. And then…I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Billy nodded once and looked at Cestria one last time. He knew that there was no way that he could ever go back into the Grid – barring a Ninjetti Spirit Dive – until his time ran out and, surprisingly enough, he was all right with that. Cestria, Shining Light and the Phantom Ranger were all looking out for him, though he had no idea how the Phantom Ranger would have met his end. He opened his mouth to give her a farewell but found he couldn't express the words he wanted so desperately to say. As the white walls of the void began to fizzle into the slightly battle-scarred plains of the Grid, Cestria nodded once and gave him a small smile.

"We will meet again, my love. I will wait for you but your friends need you."

As the words echoed around him, the void vanished into nothingness. Billy found himself face-down in the dirt next to a hill with explosions ringing in his ears. Picking himself up off the ground, he brushed the excess dirt off his body and summoned his Morpher in a dark blue flash. Examining the Element of Acceptance, his eyes widened as the shimmering orb flashed gold; bearing the symbols of his 'Main Three' Power Animals: Triceratops, Unicorn and Wolf. Allowing everything that had happened to wash over him, he relaxed and lifted the object into the air. Energy crackled overhead as a thin 'cloud' of sorts began to settle over his body. Looking into the cloud, he swore he could see images of his friends – wherever they were in the Multiverse. He could see the Orange Ranger battling against a Ranger-like figure in Black armour, the other Ultra Rangers and the new Crystal Rangers going about their daily business and, if he looked hard enough, he swore he could see Jason and the Ninjetti Rangers in an underground command centre of some kind. The Red Ranger was talking to a kid dressed in a red shirt while Tommy spoke to…something that looked disturbingly like an overgrown tiki head. Shaking his head, he willed the images away and prepared to morph.

It was time to fight for the Grid.

TBC…


End file.
